Three men have been arrested for their involvement in a string of motorcycle thefts in the Iskandar Puteri and Kota Tinggi areas, police confirmed.

The arrests were made during a joint operation, codenamed Ops Lejang, conducted by the district's Criminal Investigation Department and the Tanjung Kupang police on January 4. The operation took place between 6:15 PM and 11:30 PM.

According to Iskandar Puteri OCPD Asst Comm M. Kumarasan, the operation was launched following reports of motorcycle thefts at apartment complexes in Gelang Patah and Tanjung Kupang. The suspects, aged between 20 and 38, were taken into custody without incident.

"Initial investigations revealed that the suspects had no prior criminal records. Preliminary urine tests also confirmed they tested negative for drugs," ACP Kumarasan shared during a press conference on Monday (January 13).

ACP Kumarasan detailed that the suspects employed a unique method to execute the thefts, targeting motorcycles perceived as abandoned. "The suspects used a lorry or pickup truck to collect these motorcycles from the roadside," he explained.

One of the suspects, a former apartment management administrator, played a key role in identifying the locations of the motorcycles. "Most of these stolen motorcycles belonged to former tenants who had moved out, prompting the management to clear them to free up parking spaces," ACP Kumarasan added.

The stolen motorcycles and their parts were reportedly sold in markets within Felda settlements across Johor.

Seized Items

During the operation, authorities confiscated several items, including:

19 motorcycles,

One car,

Four motorcycle engines, and

Various motorcycle components.

Source: TheStar