Whole Bunch of JB Serious Crime Anecdotes and Links by The Best Of Both Worlds

From The Best Of Both Worlds via simonthongwh:

Thursday, January 6, 2011
Towards Lesser Crime In JB

Crime in Johor Bahru have reach new highs in my personal view.Especially house break ins, snatch thieves and robberies. They, the criminals are now very bold and very well equipped. They commit crimes even at broad daylight!It is one thing to lose valuables but the emotional trauma? Wouldn’t one fear for one’s belongings, love ones or one’s own well being? I have known cases around me and myself included have fall victims of these crimes.But where does one go to next? How does one help to inform the right people to take steps to help prevent crime and not wait till its too late. People seem to turn away or brush off matters like these until it happens to someone close or some important person. It is truly very very sad.. Crime prevention is not political, its not racial. There is no monetary gains nor is it meant to gain popularity it is about (a)the community’s welfare.There are poorly or not lighted back lanes, deserted or abandon houses there must be steps taken to monitor these areas or upgrade them.Patrols during the day, patrols into back lanes whether they are pitch dark or lighted. There is no blaming of anybody or departments or what have you. Its just making/taking steps to prevent crime. A very simple issue.I personally don’t even know if writing in this blog will help me establish or get the message out to the right people but least I have tried.

This is a blog written by Rencetan on May 1 2009, in The Star daily.

The recent parang incident in Johor prompted me to blog again about crime in JB.
A gang of three armed robbers chopped off the left arm of 28-year old Wang Kai Yin, a car repairman in Kulai, Johor Bahru because they only managed to get RM300 cash and a mobile phone from the victim.
Out of anger, one of the three men on two motorcycles cut off his arm when told he had no more money after surrendering his wallet.
******

Earlier, I had blogged about robbers in Taman Majidee using 19-year old Cheng Jun Wei as human shield when pursued by a security guard.
She suffered head injuries and subsequently passed away two days later.

A month later, a man allegedly lost more than RM5,000 to a snatch thief at a money changer shop in Taman Majidee.
To aggravate matter, he was shot twice at his waist during an argument with a security guard.
******

In January last year, at The Store in Taman Sentosa JB, 31-year old Singaporean Ms Joanne Tan, was dragged about 10 metre for refusing to let go her handbag.
She was slashed on the left arm.
After two snatch thieves gave up on her, a car ran over her feet.

For readers information, all these place are less than ten-minute ride from where I stay.
******

Last May, the police target to reduce Johor crime index by at least 30% in 2010, especially in the Iskandar area, JB South.

And in the first nine months of 2010, police crime index was down by 24.17% or 5,369 cases.

A year earlier, there were 22,211 cases which included property and violent crimes.

I sincerely hope that the 30% target had thus been achieved.

Two weeks before the announcement was made, even JB South OCPD Asst Comm Zainuddin Yaakob, home alone, had a dawn shock when he was tied up and robbed at knife point in his own house a year earlier.

The suspects, all believed to be Indonesians ransacked his home before fleeing.

Two weeks later, Huzaimah Yahya, wife of Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin political secretary, Syahrin Md Jamaluddin, was tied up during robbery, car stolen, house ransacked, fridge, pots and pans raided in Kampung Sinaran Baru, Skudai around 2am.

This is the second break-in for them after two years.

Crimes in Nusajaya, Upscale Housing Area Near JB

Via simonthongwh:

Nusajaya folks fear increasing crime rates
Posted on December 3, 2011 by Eric Ku

Residents of Nusajaya vicinity in Johor Bahru feel unsettled due to the increase in buglary cases in the area.

Recent protests in Taman Pulai Utama concerning the escalating crime rates initiated a dialogue session called “Sesi Dialog Polis Dengan Penduduk” recently to discuss measures which need to be taken by the police with cooperation from the residents to battle the issue at hand.

According to the Deputy CPO of IPD Nusajaya, Tuan Razak, this is the second dialogue held in Nusajaya to answer the public’s enquiry and to offer consolation to the jittery residents.

As per police report and record, Taman Pulai Utama had a total of 70 case this year, comprising 41 lost motorcycles, 7 missing cars, 19 burglary and 3 rape cases. To date, no one has been nabbed for the cases.

The public openly displayed their frustration as many Nusajaya cases have been redirected to other police stations surmounting to a waste of time and effort.

Ex-police office, James Barran, voiced his frustration at the lackadaisical attitude of the police force.

“20 years ago, when I was a Police officer in Batu Pahat, the police received reports regardless of territory, but now I personally encountered a case where I was asked to lodge a Police report in Kangkar Pulai which is 5 km further from the one at Taman Universiti which is just 1 km away,” said the exasperated ex-police officer.

Barran was supported by one of the local residents, Ong Ju Seng, who faced similar problems and had to travel a few times to give investigation statements in a rural police stations, when there was a police station close to home.

Tuan Razak, in his reply mentioned that public can make police report in any of the police station, and that there is no excuse for policemen to channel cases to other stations. Disciplinary actions will take against officers who refuse to comply. He explained that there is a shortage of investigative officers and therefore some lapse in time may occur before crime cases receive due investigation.

The resident in Taman Pulai Utama requested more police patrol in the area, regardless of having security personals in the guarded and gated area. They request that the police be more efficient when recovering evidence and to be efficient when dealing with suspects in order to deter repetitive crime.

A total of 200 people attended the dialogue. Also present was the Ahli Majlis Perbandaran Johor Bahru Tengah ( MPJBT), Jason Teo and community policing Bukit Indah, Yap Kwi Juan and legal advisor Lau Kok Guan.

JB Gang Targets Gold of Newlyweds

Via simonthongwh:

New Straits Times
Gang targets newly-weds for their gold
2011/10/01
By Ben Tan
bentan@nst.com.my

JOHOR BARU:Of late, a gang of burglars has been targeting the homes of newly-wed Chinese couples here.

They would break into the houses for cash and gold jewellery when the families were at their wedding banquets. The gang, which targets homes in urban residential areas, was able steal thousands of ringgit in cash and jewellery in just 15 minutes.

The houses of newly-weds or that of their parents normally contain ang pow given by family members and guests during the traditional tea ceremony held before the banquet.
Most of the Chinese here, who are Teochew or Hokkien, keep gold jewellery, called si tiam kim (four points of gold in Teochew), to be given as gifts to the bride in their homes during the wedding. The si tiam kim consists of a pair of earrings, a necklace, a bracelet and a ring.

Sources told the New Sunday Times that most weddings took place during the weekend and there was no time to bank in the cash or place the jewellery in a safe deposit box.

“Another glaring giveaway to the burglars is the red sash and Chinese characters emblazoned on the main door of the bride’s home in preparation for the tea ceremony.
“Come the wedding dinner on Saturday or Sunday, the whole family will go to the restaurant or hotel by 4pm,” said a source.

Initial investigations revealed that the burglars, believed to be working in groups of two or three, would make their rounds in residential areas before the weekend.

Once they targeted a home, a visual inspection of its surroundings was made for alarm systems and the proximity of the break-in points to the immediate neighbour’s house.
The source said the burglars preferred corner-lot houses where the break-in and exit was easier through the roof. The gang would strike between 6pm and 8pm.

“They would enter the newly-weds’ bedroom, where the ang pow and gold jewellery were usually kept.

“Most of the time, the burglars would leave the other parts of the house untouched. They were only interested in the ang pow and si tiam kim,” added the source.

Johor police chief Datuk Mokhtar Shariff said police were aware of the cases and had been monitoring the situation.

Johor Police on Crimes Encountered by Singaporeans

Via simonthongwh:

Saturday, October 15, 2011
TODAYonline

Johor police: We are in full control

by Teo Xuanwei
04:46 AM Oct 15, 2011

JOHOR BARU – Three weeks after a Malaysian politician reportedly made negative remarks about the crime situation in Johor, the police chief of the southern state has stepped out to stress that his department is in “full control”.

At a rare press conference yesterday morning on Johor’s crime rates attended by some 40 journalists – half of whom were from Singapore – Deputy Commissioner of Police Mokhtar Shariff spent almost 45 minutes presenting various statistics, such as a 25-per-cent drop in the total number of cases last year, as well as a steady decline in crimes against Singaporeans.

He said: “I must assure and reiterate and stress that the police is in full control of the crime situation in Johor. This, I believe, should eliminate all unfounded concerns and allegations on safety and security issues.”

Bernama news agency reported on Sept 23 that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had made comments to the foreign media, which reportedly implied that Singaporeans were more likely to be kidnapped in Johor than in Penang.

Mr Lim, the secretary-general of the opposition Democratic Action Party, subsequently apologised to the Sultan of Johor but maintained that his words were “misrepresented”.

Yesterday, Mr Mokhtar noted that there have been only two reported abductions of Singaporeans since 2008.

And out of the 14.1 million trips Singaporeans made across the Causeway last year, just 320 of those trips, or 0.002 per cent, met with crime in Johor. This ratio would be “deemed natural”, in his words, in any part of the world.

“The crimes were generally common in nature and not specifically aimed at Singaporeans. (The criminals) have an opportunity, they strike. They don’t look at race, religion, or nationality,” Mr Mokhtar said.

There were 386 cases of violent and property crimes committed against Singaporeans in 2008.

This rose to 413 in 2009, but plunged to 320 last year. For the first eight months of this year, there have been 230 such cases.

He stressed that the Johor police will strive not to allow even one Singaporean being hit by criminal activities, citing how 25 police posts, otherwise referred to as beat bases, have been set up in various areas in the city. There are also plans to boost the 8,300-strong force by another 800 officers to increase police presence.

Mr Mokhtar also revealed that street crimes – snatch thefts are a particular menace – have also plunged by 45 per cent in total from January to September this year. He added that 279 snatch thieves, which he labelled “monsters and parasites”, have been nabbed this year.

Even as the statistics point to an improving security situation, concerns over safety continue to linger among Singaporeans, due to sensational crimes making the headlines periodically.

In January, for instance, a millionaire businessman’s mistress, daughter and maid were kidnapped, allegedly by two Malaysians, outside a mini-mart in Johor Baru’s Permas Jaya township.

They were released less than two weeks later after the businessman paid a S$9 million ransom.

Singaporeans’ willingness to visit Johor have also been marred by other recent incidents.

A new fingerprinting immigration system in June caused massive traffic snares at the checkpoints – two Malaysian business associations reported a 30- to 50-per-cent fall in business.

There was also a controversy over two Singapore women allegedly made to do nude squats after they were arrested at the Malaysian checkpoint for allegedly entering the country without going through immigration checks.

The Star
Published: Friday October 14, 2011 MYT 4:26:00 PM

Johor police brief S’pore media over security

JOHOR BARU: Only 320 crimes involving Singaporeans were recorded in Johor last year. Most involved missing cars and motorcycles.

Since 2008, only two cases of abduction of Singaporeans were reported. About 14 million Singaporeans enter Johor for holidays, business and other matters annually.

Thus, any assumption that people fear to come to Johor is utterly baseless, said state police chief Datuk Mokhtar Shariff at a briefing of local and Singapore journalists of the crime situation.

He added that the negative perception of Johor’s crime rate had to be countered through frequent briefing sessions for media members from Singapore.

He said criminals do not select their victims based on nationality, race or religion but commit crime as and when they get the opportunity.

“We have put in place various strategies including increasing police intelligence, working with community policing groups, increasing raids, creating police beats and utilising the latest technology to clamp down on crime here,” he said.

He was responding to a remark made by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng about Johor’s security.

MySinchew.com

Police to brief public regularly on security in Johor

2011-10-14 15:37

JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 14 (Bernama) — Johor police today briefed the media from Johor and Singapore on security in the Iskandar Malaysia development corridor, and promised more regular briefings for the media and foreign investors to dismiss any negative perception that Johor was an unsafe state.

Johor police chief Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff said there was no basis to regard Johor as an unsafe state and gave the assurance that the police would redouble efforts to fight crime.

He said only two cases of abduction involving Singaporeans were recorded since 2008.

“Only 320 crimes involving Singaporeans were recorded last year, most of them associated with missing cars and motorcycles” he said, adding that the number was small compared to the 14 million arrivals in the state.

“Any assumption that people fear to come to Johor is utterly baseless,” he told reporters after the briefing.

Mohd Mokhtar said criminals do not select their victims based on nationality, race or religion but commit crime as and when they get the opportunity.

It is hoped that the briefings will provide a clear picture of the security situation in the state and instill confidence in potential tourists and foreign investors, he said.

He said the government had allocated RM500 million to step up security in Iskandar Malaysia through the setting up of several district police headquarters, increasing the number of patrol units and installing more closed circuit television cameras for monitoring.

Compare against this via simonthongwh:

A cousin, a Singaporean, came to visit his friend in JB and became a victim in JB’s SAFE STREETS!

I read your post in the face book about robbery in Ipoh Garden East on Lunar New Year Eve. I am not sure whether you know I was also a victim of robbery in Malaysia?

On 11th August last year (2011), I went to visit my friend and his family in Johor Bahru with my family members. We were robbed and attacked in front of my friend’s house at 11.30am. I shouted but no one dared to help except my friend. Because of my shouting, I was slashed with a parang on my right thigh just above the knee and my wife’s handbag was taken. I couldn’t walk for few months. Even now I am still limping and undergoing physiotherapy, (after more than 5 months).

Tell all your friends to keep cool if met with robbery. Just hand over their valuables quietly. DON”T SHOUT. No one dares to help. If they shout, they may be stabbed or slashed, which will be worse.

The Police are useless!!! Yes, you are right. They will just make statements, that it is very safe, crime rate is low and dropping, etc, etc!!!

About one month after my case, the Police Chief in Johor also said that Johor is very safe, to encourage Singaporeans to visit and shop in Johor Bahru! He said that in 2010 there were ONLY 320 cases of crime (or 0.002 % of total visits) involving Singaporeans.

He couldn’t even see the facts behind his own figures! It actually means that nearly every day a visiting Singaporean was robbed and if Malaysians were included, the figure would be very much higher!

He seems to be happy with the 0.002% figure. But for visitors and Malaysians, we would certainly expect a much better figure.

Although my wife made a police report that evening (I was in hospital undergoing emergency surgery), there was completely no news from the Police of our case till now.

JB Police + Army Patrols

Via simonthongwh:

New Straits Times

Police, soldiers start joint patrols in Johor Baru tomorrow

2011/10/13

STARTING tomorrow, police will hold joint patrols with the Malaysian Armed Forces in three main areas of Johor Baru city centre.

This initiative is part of the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) which involves the police and military cooperating, sharing facilities and having joint patrols.

State police chief Datuk Mokhtar Shariff said the cooperative effort between the agencies would start off with patrols to beef-up police presence in the Setia Indah, Pelangi Indah and Johor Jaya police stations.
“Setia Indah and Pelangi Indah will be under the Johor Baru South police district, while the Johor Jaya stations will be under the Seri Alam police district.

“The joint patrols will involve 24 policemen and 12 from the Military Police Corps,” he said at the Johor police contingent headquarters.

For a start, Mokhtar said, the joint patrols would involve a ratio of one soldier to two policemen. He said they would take part in beat duties, motorcycle patrols, mobile police vehicle patrols and other duties.

NBOS, which was initiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in March, is intended to reduce crime, rehabilitate prison inmates at army camps, provide household assistance, ensure rural water supply and optimise usage of vacant armed forces land for agriculture. The strategy has proven effective, especially in crime prevention and policing duties.

In the future, Mokhtar said cooperation between the armed forces and police would extend to sharing facilities and recruitment of military personnel into police ranks.

“So far, the programme of joint patrols has been carried out successfully by the Perak and Negri Sembilan police,” he said, adding that other areas of joint community policing with the armed forces were in the pipeline.

Johor Luxury Car Theft Syndicated Smashed

Via simonthongwh:

“Geng Panjang” members nabbed, nine stolen cars recovered
Posted on 28 October 2011 – 05:26am

JOHOR BAHRU (Oct 27, 2011): Police smashed a luxury car theft syndicate here following the arrest of four men and a woman aged between 23 and 37 yesterday.

The men were held in a raid at a hotel here at 1.30am while the woman was nabbed in Yong Peng at 2.50am.

“Nine cars were recovered, among them were a Honda Stream, BMW 320I, Toyota Wish, Kia Carens and Mitsubishi Colt valued at about RM650,000,” said South Johor Baharu police chief ACP Zainuddin Yaacob.

Speaking to reporters here today, Zainuddin said the luxury cars were left in several public parking lots around the city here with forged number plates to avoid detection.

Five of the stolen cars were from Singapore while the rest were locally registered.

The syndicate, known as Geng Panjang, had been active since 2001 and was believed to have recruited several new members who are still at large.

The stolen vehicles would usually be sold to members of the public at extremely low prices, as cheap as RM7,000 and below.

He requested the cooperation of public car park owners to inform the police should a car be kept for a long period of time in their parking lot.

In Alor Setar, police foiled two syndicates specialising in stealing Toyota Estima.

Kota Setar police chief ACP Adzaman Mohd Jan said the two car theft syndicates had stolen altogether 15 Toyota Estimas in their activities in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor and the cars were smuggled to a neighbouring country.

He said the success was the result of cooperation between the Kedah CID and the Bukit Aman Crime Division which began with the arrest of a 32-year-old man, who was driving a stolen Toyota Estima at KM 8.7 of the Changlun-Bukit Kayu Hitam Highway at 4.30am on Oct 14.

“Police investigation led to the recovery of another stolen Toyota Estima parked near a supermarket in Gurun.

However, the second member of the syndicate is still at large,” he told reporters, here today.

Adzaman said initial investigation found that the syndicate, operated by two men, had smuggled 11 Toyota Estimas stolen from Damansara and Wangsa Maju in Kuala Lumpur to Thailand.

According to him, two men from another syndicate, aged 31 and 34 years, were nabbed 10 days ago after police raided two houses, one in Changlun and the other in Alor Setar. Two stolen Toyota Estimas were recovered from this raid. –Bernama

Singaporean Kidnapped in JB, Killed

Via simonthongwh:

Straits Times
Singaporean ‘kidnapped in Johor Baru’ found dead

Man, 56, may have been killed after family failed to pay $328k ransom
Published on Dec 5, 20

JOHOR BARU – A Singaporean man said to have been kidnapped in Johor Baru on Nov 27 was found dead four days later, it was reported on Sunday.

It is believed that Sim Chee Yong, 56, was killed after his family was unable to pay a RM800,000 (S$328,200) ransom. His body was found floating in waters near Pasir Gudang last Thursday.

Johor deputy police chief Ismail Yatim said in a statement on Sunday that Sim did not have a job but was believed to be a loanshark. He had nine criminal records in Malaysia.

Police have detained three male suspects and a woman aged between 16 and 40 for questioning, he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.

Monday, 05 December 2011 08:08

S’porean man kidnapped and killled in JB

The body of a Singaporean businessman and former loanshark was found dumped in a river in Johor Bahru, reported the Shin Min Daily News yesterday.

56-year-old Shen Zhi Rong, was suspected to have been a victim of a kidnapping gone awry, after his family were unable to pay the RM800,000 (about $320,000) ransom which the kidnappers demanded.

His body was found with his head wrapped in four layers of plastic, with his hands and feet bound.

According to the Chinese daily, Shen was kidnapped on Nov 26 in Johor Bahru. His wife, Madam Lin Cai Mei, 50, received a call the next day from the kidnappers, demanding the sum of money.

Over the next few days, they called Madam Lin and Shen’s father, but both claimed they did not have such a large sum of money.

In their last call on Nov 29, the kidnappers finally lowered the ransom amount to RM400,000 (about S$19,000), but at that point in time, Shen’s voice not be heard in the background.

His wife and father believe Shen could have already been killed by the kidnappers by then.

Offended underworld boss

The Chinese news daily also reported that Shen was a well-known figure in Johor Bahru, and is described as a generous man who was “easy to talk to”.

According to interviews with those who knew him, Shen worked as a loanshark in the area, loaning cash and collecting them.

But he did not always return the full amount from the debts he collected.

“For example, if he collected RM50,000, he would pocket RM40,000″, said one source.

This may have angered the “underworld boss” he was working for, said those who knew him.

But according to his wife, Shen had “retired” from the loanshark business for some time, and she is unaware who he could have offended.

Shen was last seen emerging from a restaurant after playing a game of mahjong with friends on Nov 26.

One arrested in connection with kidnapping and murder

A Chinese woman has been arrested in connection with the kidnap-cum-murder, reported the daily, and police are searching for at least one other male accomplice.

The woman is reported to be an acquaintance of Shen, and a Singaporean.

Malaysian authorities are still investigating the case.

-AsiaOne

Taman Pelangi in JB Crime-Filled

Via simonthongwh:

Taman Pelangi a crime hotspot

Taman Pelangi was identified by Johor police in August 2009 as a crime hotspot.

Then-Johor police chief Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff said that robberies and snatch thefts were common in the area.

In May last year, the Malaysian Home Ministry allocated RM1.5 million (S$610,000) to the Johor Baru city council to improve the city’s safety and security infrastructure.

Proper lighting and safe pedestrian walkways were introduced in crime-prone areas in Johor Baru, including Taman Pelangi.

Bicycle patrol

When announcing a new bicycle patrol last June, deputy district police chief Zainuddin Yaacob mentioned that break-ins and snatch thefts were more common between 3am and 5am.

Despite these precautionary measures by the police, the area has seen its fair share of violent crime in recent years.

In April last year, a bodyguard was shot dead when a female moneychanger was robbed by four men armed with a gun and a parang.

One opened fire on the car while another smashed the windscreen and opened the boot, escaping with four bags of money.

-The New Paper

Singaporean Family Living in JB Robbed, Manhandled for Hours

Via simonthongwh:

Monday, 16 April 2012 16:51

S’pore PR family describes horror of how JB home was looted

He had just arrived at work yesterday morning when his mother called. Their family had been robbed.

They were held hostage in their own home in Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru, for one hour, just after midnight, his mother said in between sobs.

The robbers made off with about $20,000 worth of goods, $4,000 cash and two of the family’s cars

Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt.

“We are so ‘light’ now. We have no wallet, no IC, no driving licence,” said the mother of Singapore permanent resident Kevin Lee, 28, who only wanted to be known as Mrs Lee, 55.

The ordeal began when Mr Lee’s father, 60, had taken out the rubbish and was about to clean the windscreen of his daughter’s Toyota Vios, parked just in front of the house.

That was when he spotted the two men approaching leisurely. They were wearing collared shirts. One even had a tie.

Just people coming home from work, he thought.

Until he felt somebody clamp his left hand.

He turned and another man grabbed his other arm, pulling him towards the house.

Said the senior Mr Lee: “They shouted at me to get in. I said, ‘Let’s settle this outside,’ and even deliberately fell in the garden to try to stop them.”

But they hauled him up.

Dog barked

Mrs Lee and her god-sister were watching TV when the family’s pomeranian-shih tzu crossbred dog began barking.

Looking up, she saw the two skinny men in their 20s approach with her husband, one of them with an arm around Mr Lee’s neck.

Said Mrs Lee: “I knew it was trouble. My god-sister panicked and fled to the kitchen; I called for her to give them the money.”

Her god-sister had just received 5,000 ringgit ($2,000) the day before.

But the robbers were not satisfied and taped the family’s mouths and wrists with black duct tape before ordering them into the airwell.

Said Mrs Lee: “I instantly scooped up the dog and put him into the sink there.

“One of the men, wielding a parang, said, ‘If you don’t make the dog shut up, I’ll hack him.’”

He then stood watch by the airwell’s entrance.

Just then, a third man wearing a ski mask and carrying a parang appeared.

The family said he seemed to be the ringleader as he gave instructions to the other two, who smelt of liquor and appeared to be on drugs.

The men began ransacking the rooms in their three-bedroom terrace house, starting from the innermost one, which belongs to her 31-year-old daughter, who got home 15 minutes into the ordeal.

Miss Lee said she was greeted at the door by a man with a knife.

“So you’re back. Go in,” she recalled him saying. “I was freaking out. I didn’t know what happened to my parents.”

He then took her bag, though she managed to retrieve a mobile phone.

Trembling in the airwell, her wrists taped, Miss Lee SMSed a cousin on the sly: “Call the police. We’re getting robbed.”

Ten minutes later, she tried the friend who had just dropped her off.

Neither responded.

Five minutes passed before the robbers had another demand: Pointing at Miss Lee, they asked her to step outside.

Mrs Lee said her knees buckled when her daughter was singled out.

She said: “I was thinking the worst, and kept shouting no.”

Mr Lee, too, resisted, and was slapped on the cheek. He was gagged with a towel that was hanging next to the sink.

The robbers then chose to focus on the family’s belongings.

“We’re looking for money, we’re not going to kill you,” the robbers allegedly shouted, thrice asking Mrs Lee to reveal where she kept money.

Whatever she had she kept in her bags, she replied.

So the robbers took every bag in the house.

Mrs Lee estimates she lost almost 10 luxury-brand bags.

Most of them had sentimental value.

They included her first-ever designer bag bought by her husband in Hong Kong and two Louis Vuitton bags from her sister, one of which was for her 50th birthday.

Indiscriminate

The robbers plundered indisciminately, stealing the family’s three-month-old, 42-inch flat-screen TV, two bottles of 21-year-old whiskey, expensive cameras and also work documents and facial masks.

They then re-taped the family’s wrists, further securing Miss Lee’s wrists to the window sill with a belt and tying Mr Lee’s to the airwell’s door handle with a dog leash.

The robbers loaded their loot into Mrs Lee’s Toyota Camry in the driveway and left, making off with Mr Lee’s Nissan X-Trail SUV as well.

The family could only call the police after they had wriggled free of the tape.

Miss Lee said the police arrived at 2am to take statements from the victims and again at 3am to photograph the scene and dust for fingerprints.

The family said they have always been cautious.

Mrs Lee said she often told her children not to return home late, and even at 10pm, she would call to check on them.

While the Malaysian family has lived in the house for 30 years, Miss Lee and Mr Kevin Lee studied in Singapore from primary school till their tertiary education.

Mr Kevin Lee lives and works in Singapore as a marketing manager.

He bought a two-bedroom Punggol condominium unit last year and has a Singaporean girlfriend of five years.

The family said it was the third time the house had been broken into.

The first attempt occured about 15 years ago; the subsequent attempt was about five years back, when Miss Lee returned to see drawers upended and a “hole in the roof”.

Said Mr Kevin Lee: “Previously, robbers used to come when the owners were not at home. They’re getting bolder.”

JB Robbery Cases Solved, Perps Busted

Via simonthongwh:

NST
18 April 2012
8 nabbed 8 hours after robbery
By CHUAH BEE KIM

JOHOR police arrested eight men, aged between 20 and 35 in Kota Tinggi and Johor Baru eight hours after they had allegedly robbed a security van containing RM462,000 in front of a bank in Jalan Niaga in Kota Tinggi at 2.30pm recently.

Johor police chief Datuk Mokhtar Shariff said police immediately set up a special task force to track down the robbers.

Mokhtar said police retrieved RM451,950 following the arrest of the suspects and the case is being investigated under Section 395 and 397 of the Penal Code for gang robbery and armed robbery.

All suspects do not have previous records and their urine tests results revealed that they were not under the influence of drugs.

On a separate matter, Mokhtar said police rounded up 12 men aged between 17 and 36 believed to be involved in several robbery cases in the northern district of Johor Baru.

The suspects were rounded up following raids in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Johor Baru recently.

Police seized a parang, house break-in tools, masks, gloves, a Nissan Grand Livina, which was reported stolen in Seremban and two other cars.

Also seized were 25 handphones, electrical items, two laptop computers and three television sets.

Of the 12 suspects, three had previous records for violent crimes while two were on the police wanted list for drug-related cases in Johor Baru south and Nusajaya.

The suspects were also being investigated under Section 395 and 397 of the Penal Code for gang robbery and armed robbery as well as Section 457 of the same code for housebreaking.

Mokhtar said with the arrest of the 12 suspects, police believe that they have solved 11 robbery cases and eight house break-in cases in Johor Baru north.

In yet another matter, police arrested five men aged between 19 and 32 after raiding a budget hotel in Tampoi, Johor Baru on Sunday.

In the 12.30pm incident, police seized two parangs, a Proton Waja, 13 handphones, a digital video disc player, house break-in tools and two passports that did not belong to any of the suspects.

Mokhtar said two of the suspects were on the police wanted list. All the suspects were also tested positive for drugs.

The suspects were also being investigated under Section 395 and 307 of Penal Code.

In yet another matter, a pistol was found by two workers who were cleaning a drain at the Pagoh Rest and Recreation Area on April 13 at 11.10am.

The case is being investigated under Section 8 of the Fire Arms Act, 1960, which carries a jail term of up to seven years and maximum fine of RM10,000, or both.

NST
18 April 2012

Couple among four nabbed for robbery
By Chong Chee Seong

A 20-year-old woman, who is still undergoing post-maternity checkups in a government clinic after giving birth to a baby girl four months ago, was arrested together with her husband and two other men following a spate of armed robberies in Pagoh, Bakri and Parit Jawa recently.

Muar police chief Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Nasir Ramli, in a press conference at the Muar police headquarters on Monday, said the suspects surveyed shops on two motorcycles and stopped at ones which had no customers.

He said the four wore helmets, while one of them armed with a parang, and entered the shops on the pretext of buying goods.

Nasir said they would hold up the shop proprietors, seize cash and other valuables before fleeing the scene.

Police arrested the four suspects in a house at Tanjung Agas, Ledang, recently and seized seven handphones and one parang.

Nasir said the men, aged between 18 and 25 years, tested positive for drugs.

He said with the arrest, police solved six cases of robberies in Muar.

In an unrelated incident, police arrested three boys, aged 13 to 14 years, within six hours after four stall-holders at the Parit Jawa wet market lodged police reports that their stalls had been broken into.

Nasir said the boys encroached into the market compound at midnight recently, ransacked drawers and stole goods including eggs and soft drinks and RM20 in cash.

In another case, Nasir said police arrested two teenagers, both 18, for motorcycle theft recently.

He said they used a master key to unlock a motorcycle parked on the road.

Nasir said with the arrest, police solved two motorcycle thefts in Muar.