MALAYSIA COMPUTER THEFT RING BROKENNew Straits Times - Malaysia News OnlineComputer theft syndicate busted


KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18:
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A computer theft syndicate that was keeping potential targets under watch did not know that they themselves were under police surveillance.

For a month, the group, which had been responsible for 50 cases in four States, went about targeting offices to hit blissfully unaware that police were on to them.

Police moved in on Feb 1 and nabbed the 57-year-old ring leader who provided information leading to the arrest of two others.

"The ring leader also provided information that led to the recovery of RM200,000 stolen goods from his house in Kampung Boyan, off Jalan Gurney Kiri," City CID chief Senior Assistant Commissioner II Aziz Bulat said.

Aziz said police were looking for three accomplices including a husband and wife team who had joined the three under custody in the break-ins.

The syndicate had operated here, in Selangor, Perak and Negri Sembilan over the last five months.

The woman is believed to have been the driver of the getaway car.

Among items seized were 124 computer central processing units, two laptops, three computer monitors, two printers, one keyboard, a car and several tools used in the break-ins.

"The syndicate operated in groups of two or three and broke into office premises with lax security at night after a period of surveillance of the intended target."

Aziz said it was common for the syndicate to break into several premises in the same area.

He added that the syndicate leader would then recondition the computers by erasing the hard drives of the CPUs before selling the stolen items to retailers.

Police are looking for Ng Peng Leong, 41, (IC No.631209-10-7097), Lai Kon Keong, 47, (IC No.571015-08-6433) and Wong Siew Kiau, 40, (IC No.641029-01-5100) to help in investigations.

He urged the public to contact the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters at 03-21159999 if they had information on the syndicate.