By Andrew Sagayam

PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA - A luxury vehicle theft syndicate known to have stolen at least 30 cars in less than four months has been smashed following the arrests of four of its members in Sunway.

The syndicate, dubbed the Camry Moo Gang, specialised in stealing Toyota cars in hotel basements and busy commercial areas throughout the Klang Valley.

Three of the thieves were nabbed on Monday night after they rammed a mobile police patrol unit several times at Jalan PJS 10/11 in a bid to escape.

Petaling Jaya district police chief Asst Comm Arjunaidi Mohamed said that at 11.30pm, two policemen spotted three men behaving suspiciously in a Toyota Camry.

Upon checking, the policemen found out the Camry had been reported stolen in Subang earlier this month.

When ordered to stop, the driver sped off, but his bid to evade the police proved futile when he came to a dead end.

"The driver then rammed the police car several times. Despite repeated warnings, he refused to stop," ACP Arjunaidi said.

A policeman fired two shots at the car.

Two suspects were caught on the spot while the third, who tried to flee on foot, was captured later.

ACP Arjunaidi said that in the Camry police found, among other items, a machine to produce keys, 22 fake number plates, 13 road tax stickers, a drill and a parang.

"The drill is used to deactivate the alarm system of targeted vehicles. Several luxury car emblems were also seized," he added.

ACP Arjunaidi said follow-up investigations led to the arrest of a fourth member of the gang at his home in the city centre the next day.

"We believe there are more people linked to the syndicate and police are checking if the stolen cars were disposed of in neighbouring countries," he added.