Police investigations have pinpointed a Latin American crew of robbers to be responsible behind a heist of RM1 million in gold jewellery at the Wah Chan outlet in in the 1Utama shopping mall over the Chinese New Year weekend.
Selangor deputy police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Jaafar said investigations suggest the heist could have been perpetrated by the same Latin American gang responsible for a string of automated teller machine (ATM) thefts in the country in 2012.
“Based on statements that were recorded from witnesses and the CCTV footage taken from the mall, it clearly indicates the suspects are Latin Americans,” he said.
Abdul Rahim added that the manner in which the latest robbery at the Wah Chan jewelry store bore similarities to the modus operandi of previous cases linked to the Latin American gang.
He said, “It was a well-planned robbery. The four had caused a power cut, resulting in a blackout in the mall for an hour on Sunday night. We believe they made their entry into the mall then.
“They also successfully disabled the motion sensor and alarm before gaining access into the premise.”
To cover their tracks, police said the gang also removed the CCTV footage from the premises before making their exit.
When the power supply was cut, security guards at the shopping mall conducted patrols of the building, but did not find anything suspicious.
Abdul Rahim said the police are also investigating the possibility of an inside man aiding the robbery.
While police are still calculating the actual losses incurred by the robbery, the Wah Chan store manager claims the losses amount to almost RM10 million in total.
Related: Burglars take their CNY fortune, rob goldsmith of RM1 mil
Source: The Malay Mail Online
