KOTA KINABALU: A teenager who led police in a 45-minute cat and mouse chase around the state capital, almost caused him and six of his accomplices their life when the Proton Wira car they were traveling in crashed into a monsoon drain at Taman BDC in Kolombong on Sunday.
The 17-year-old, who did not have a driving license, had borrowed his father’s car for a joyride with his friends before robbing a 24-hour convenience store at Bandaran Berjaya at 5.47am on April 19.
The teenager, who is the mastermind, had apparently robbed 24-hour convenience stores with 14 other accomplices aged between 15 and 29 around the city centre and in Penampang the past couple of weeks.
City police chief Assistant Commissioner M Chandra in disclosing this yesterday, said the group’s modus operandi was to drive up to a convenient store where two of the suspects would walk into the store acting as customers before pulling out their knives and demanded for cash.
In the last incident, Chandra said seven of the suspects had robbed a 24-hour convenience store at Bandaran Berjaya before fleeing with RM46 cash and four dozen bars of Cadbury chocolates.
“Two of the gang members walked into the store to rob while the remaining members waited in the car.
“Just after they left, the store casher immediately alerted the police and within three minutes, a police patrol vehicle spotted the suspect’s Proton Wira car at Signal Hill and immediately gave chase.
“A cat and mouse pursuit took place between the police and the suspects for 45 minutes before the suspects’ car ended inside a monsoon drain at Taman BDC in Kolombong,” he said, adding that police immediately launched ‘Ops Tutup’ to prevent the suspects from fleeing from the city centre.
Chandra said the seven suspects, comprising three boys and four girls aged 15 and 18, only sustained minor injuries and were immediately detained.
The arrests then led police to the detention of six other people, namely five teenage boys, aged 15 and 18, and a 22-year-old woman, at an apartment in Api-Api Centre, here at 8am the same day.
“Investigation on the driver led police to an unnumbered house at Tanjung Aru where police seized a Perodua Myvi car that belongs to the boy’s mother.
“Initial investigation believed the Perodua Myvi was also used in one of the four previous robberies,” said Chandra.
Continuous investigation then led police to the arrest of two other accomplices at Kepayan Ridge between 4.30pm and 5pm on the same day.
Police have since confiscated two vehicles that were used in the robberies, knives, RM46 cash, the bar of chocolates and other items.
According to Chandra, police believed the group were small-time petty criminals whose intention was merely for fun.
“They (the suspects) will be remanded until April 23 to be investigated under Section 395/397 of the Penal Code for armed gang-robbery which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and shall be liable to whipping if found guilty.
“The 17-year-old driver will also be charged under Section 42 (1) and Section 26 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for driving dangerously and driving without a license respectively.
“Police will also charge the boy’s parents under Section 39 (5) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for allowing the child to drive without a driving license,” he said.