The suspect (third left) and buyer (fourth left) being led away to the lock-up following their arrest.
KUCHING: A habitual criminal was arrested yesterday in connection with a number of recent thefts of vans and cars, as well as possible involvement in street robberies.
The suspect, in his 30s, was picked up at his parents’ house in Kampung Tabuan Melayu around 10.30am by a task force team from district police headquarters following a tip-off.
Sources said that the suspect, who was asleep on the living room couch at the time of arrest, went on to direct police to three Perodua Kancil cars parked outside the house which were subsequently found to be stolen property.
The suspect – a drug addict – is also thought to be responsible for the theft of two recently-recovered vans as well as at least three other cars, bringing the total number of vehicles believed to have been stolen by him to eight.
Sources also indicated that police are probing the suspect for possible involvement in several recent street robberies based on his criminal history.
In addition, police also detained a second man living nearby who is suspected of being a buyer of property stolen by the suspect.
The pair is currently being held in lock-up pending further investigation.
In a separate incident, a man was arrested on suspicion of motorcycle theft after he was caught riding a stolen machine on Thursday.
The 41-year-old from Kampung Tupong Tengah in Petra Jaya, was detained by an undercover police team from state police headquarters around 10.30am in Gita as he was about to leave a shop on a Honda EX5 motorcycle.
A subsequent check revealed that the licence plate number was for a Modenas motorcycle, and that the Honda EX5 bike had been reported stolen in Padungan in March this year.