GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA - A mastermind suspected to be involved in a RM2mil ($840,000) luxury vehicle theft from the Rahman Brother car showroom, where a car dealer was torched to death, was captured at Sungai Ara apartment last night.

Police picked up the 24-year-old suspect at 10pm following a tip-off.

Penang CPO Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob confirmed the arrest but declined to elaborate.

The suspect, who is believed to have sustained burnt marks on his leg when the showroom was set ablaze on Monday morning, had been admitted to the Penang Hospital.

Police suspect he is the ring leader of the gang of eight men involved in the robbery at 5.30am on Monday.

They also detained two people, a Nepalese guard and a workshop owner, in connection with the murder.

Car dealer Lim Hooi Huah was burnt to death at the showroom in Jalan Mesjid Negri here.

He had also been stabbed in the neck and beaten by his assailants, with injuries on his head, a post-mortem revealed.

Police believe the eight luxury cars worth RM2mil were stolen when the showroom was torched while Lim was trapped inside.

"We believe the attack, fire and robbery were committed by the same group of people," OCPD Asst Comm Azam Abd Hamid said yesterday.

Police are trying to determine why the group returned to the showroom several hours after driving off with the luxury cars.

ACP Azam said they were looking at all angles, including the possibility Lim had to be silenced for recognising his assailants.

"We have witnesses who said they spotted the stolen vehicles parked at an apartment car park in Paya Terubong as early as 8pm on Sunday. The showroom was only torched at about 4am the next day," said ACP Azam.

Seven of the eight cars were recovered on Monday evening, about 12 hours after the fire. A Mercedes-Benz CLS350, a BMW and two Toyota Alphards were found hidden in the car park while two other BMWs and a Toyota Alphard were found at a workshop in Jalan Kampung Pisang.

The workshop owner has been arrested and remanded for a week.