Thailand slams brakes on Malaysian car-jacking syndicates, seizes 20 stolen cars

BANGKOK: Malaysian carjacking syndicates have been using Thailand as a transit point to smuggle stolen vehicles into other regional countries such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

According to Bukit Aman CID director, Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd, the Royal Thai Police (RTP) since 2015 had retrieved more than 100 stolen Malaysian vehicles in the kingdom and handed them over to its Malaysian counterpart.

“Thailand has become a transit country for Malaysia’s car-jacking syndicates,” he told the media when receiving 20 stolen Malaysian cars, mostly luxury vehicles from RTP adviser, Gen Witaya Prayongpan in an official ceremony here yesterday.

Wan Ahmad Najmuddin who thanked the RTP for its excellent work in tackling the crime said both police forces would step up their cooperation to bust car theft syndicates currently operating in both countries.

Bukit Aman and RTP, he said, had over the years established good relations and cooperation encompassing all fields, as was shown recently with the arrest of six Malaysians in Bangkok for alleged links to a call scam syndicate.

The CID chief said efforts were underway to track down the Malaysian leader of the syndicate which was busted in Bangkok last week.

Meanwhile, the RTP in a statement issued after the handing-over ceremony said stolen vehicles had been a long standing issue and had negativey impacted the economies of both countries.

Thai Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and his deputy, Gen Prawit Wongsuwan had always stressed on the importance of tackling the issue as it had the potential to lead to other criminal activities.

“... this is not merely about stolen motor vehicles but could potentially finance other activities of criminal nature such as terrorism,” said the statement. - Bernama