Malaysia Crime Watch

13 January 2009
George Town

5 people were arrested and over RM480,000 worth of gold were recovered by the police believed to be involved in the RM1.4 million goldsmith shop heist in Jelutong on 29 December 2008.

On that day, the 22-year-old director of the shop was walking towards her car after returning from the night market along Jalan Van Praagh when she was abducted at knife point by two men. She was driven in the her car to her shop where they forced her to open a safe deposit containing 8 1kg gold ingots worth RM769,000, 5kg of gold jewellery worth RM497,000 and USD$20,300 cash. The suspects then took off with her car, two mobile phones and a laptop.

On 6 January 2009 at 3:30pm, police detained a man at a house in Bagan Ajam, Butterworth, and seized a 1kg gold bar worth RM99,000.

The arrest of the first suspect led police to three men and a woman in Bandar Baru Air Itam and Pulau Tikus on the same day. They found USD$1,620 cash and RM23,000 cash at the Bandar Baru Air Itam house. 3kg of gold worth RM300,000 have been found to be melted and believed to have been stolen from a jewellery shop along Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling on 8 January 2009. Police suspect that the melted gold was meant to be sold to an illegal gold trading syndicate.

The victim’s Toyota Vios car was recovered from a car park at the Penang Hospital on 8 January 2009.

The authorities have launched a manhunt for the remaining suspect still at large while the five arrested would be charged today.

The Star Online – RM1.4mil goldsmith shop heist solved with arrest of five people
<URL:http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/13/nation/3007767&sec=nation>

New Straits Times Online – RM400,000 stolen gold recovered, five held
<URL:http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/National/2451392/Article/index_html>

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