Policemen suspended over links to car-theft syndicate

Four cops – ranging from an inspector to a lance corporal – have been suspended pending investigations on their involvement in a syndicate selling stolen cars.

PETALING JAYA: Four policemen, including an inspector, have been suspended pending investigations by the Bukit Aman disciplinary department over their alleged involvement in a syndicate selling stolen cars.

Confirming this today, Bukit Aman CID director Mohd Bakri Zinin told FMT that the case was being handled by the Bukit Aman commercial crime department.

However, both the disciplinary and the commercial crime divisions do not fall under Bakri’s purview and he could not provide further details.

“We confirm that there is an investigation being carried out by the commercial crime department on the case.

“Internally, the disciplinary department has suspended several men. They are an inspector, a sergeant-major, a corporal and and a lance corporal,” he said.

On the details of the individuals, Bakri could only say that they were “not from Bukit Aman, but all were investigating officers and assistant investigating officers from the district level”.

Bakri also stressed that police were being as fair as possible in cases such as this.

“Let the people face the music. We do not condone these kind of offences that they have purportedly done, so we have to do the proper investigations. For us, we are just doing of the job,” he said.

Expressing disappointment over the serious allegations made against the police force, Bakri admitted that there were always bound to be “black sheep” in any agency.

Last week, FMT reported that several officers were being investigated for allegedly handing over stolen cars, which have been recovered by police, to the syndicate instead of returning them to their rightful owners.

These stolen cars would then be re-conditioned and re-sold to unsuspecting second-hand car dealers or private owners.

It was also alleged that the syndicate has contacts in the Road Transport Department who would ensure the “re-conditioned” cars would not be blacklisted.

It was further reported that the syndicate was connected to a warehouse which was raided by police in Kepong in July last year, but Bakri today said that the raid was not connected with the current investigations.