KOTA KINABALU: A former soldier from Kedah was arrested by police in connection with 19 burglary cases involving close to half-million Ringgit.

       The 34-year-old suspect from Gurun in Kedah, who led Gang Gurun with four other accomplices, was nabbed by police in a series of raids across the state capital earlier this week.

       Kota Kinabalu city police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zaidi Abdullah said the accomplices, aged 33 and 62, were not only suspected for house break-ins in the city but also Penampang, Tuaran and Kota Marudu.

       "They called themselves Gang Gurun, and have been operating for at least six months," he told reporters here Thursday (Feb 24).

       ACP Mohd Zaidi said the gang managed to escape with valuables that included cash, jewelleries, branded bags, watches, handphones, laptops, an iron safe and a stolen pistol.

       The gang’s modus operandi was to target luxury houses by breaking into the homes through windows when the occupants had left their home, he said.

       The gang would sell the stolen items to pawn shops either in the state capital or in Kota Belud.

       "In some cases, they even sold it to unsuspecting buyers in Ampang (Selangor) and sent it via courier services," said ACP Mohd Zaidi added.

       Police were currently hunting down six remaining gang members of Gang Gurun and believed an arrest would be made soon.

       Mohd Zaidi said that police had their ways to identify criminals even if they were wearing facemasks.

       "Don’t think that by wearing a face mask you can hide your identity. We have special teams who are tasked to identify criminals through facial recognition with the help of closed-circuit television (CCTV) and we will find you," he warned.

       All suspects, who had previous criminal records, had been remanded to be investigated under Section 457 of the Penal Code for house-trespass or housebreaking in order to commit an offence punishable with imprisonment.