KUALA LUMPUR: Three Latin American men arrested two days ago were not connected to the recent hacking of 17 bank automated teller machines (ATM).
Instead, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the trio, who were picked up at a hotel in Jalan Thambipillay, Brickfields here, were wanted by the Thai police for burglary cases in Thailand.
“They were not connected to the ATM-hacking cases, but they were strongly believed to have planned to commit burglaries while they were hiding in this country.”
He said this to reporters after attending the recognition ceremony of new police horses at the Horse Unit, Federal Reserve Unit Complex, Cheras here yesterday.
Khalid said the trio were arrested after being detected by the border’s intelligence team and Thai authorities to have entered the country through Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah, last Monday.
At present, he said the police were still in the midst of tracking down the actual suspects involved in the ATM-hacking cases.
In another development, Khalid said police admitted that there were crime activities occurring in Kuala Sepetang, Perak.
“I don’t deny that there are crime activities there, but not to the extent of involving mafia groups,” he said.
Nevertheless, he said the police would always monitor the situation there and were hoping that the public with information about any crime activities would channel the information to the police to enable further action to be taken.
Recently, a local daily reported that mafia activities were rampant in Kuala Sepetang and that the area was being controlled by mafia groups. — Bernama