At least 13 robberies solved after five in ‘Gang Steady’ held

GEORGE TOWN: They would target landed property occupants living near the hills, with their favourite phrase “You steady, I steady, Kami cuma mahu wang saja” (We only want money).

For the past 10 months, the five Indonesian robbers known as ‘Gang Steady’ had been terrorising the neighbourhoods of Bukit Gambier, Jelutong and Balik Pulau.

Led by a 56-year-old mastermind from Batam, they would hide in the hills before breaking into the targeted houses in the wee hours.

Armed with machetes, knives and sickles, the masked Indonesian men would tie up their victims before robbing them of valuables and returning to the hills on foot.

Their luck ran out on Monday when three of them were picked up at Hentian Duta bus terminal in Kuala Lumpur at 2am.

Upon interrogation of the trio, another two men hiding in the hills of Bukit Gambier were also nabbed on the same day.

Penang CID chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Zainol Samah said police believe they have solved at least 13 robberies with this arrest.

Among the loot recovered worth around RM500,000 were 20 smartphones and tablets, branded clothes, bags, watches, sunglasses, jewellery, and foreign and local currencies.

“The suspects would warn their victims to keep calm and not to put up a fight as they just wanted money.

“We located the suspects in an operation codenamed ‘Ops Rantau Steady’. We identified three of them who boarded an express bus at the Sungai Nibong bus terminal to Larkin, Johor.

“The police then followed the bus until Hentian Duta bus terminal in Kuala Lumpur before making the arrest.

“With information from the nabbed suspects, a police team picked up another two suspects in the forest behind Universiti Sains Malaysia in Bukit Gambier,” he said at state police headquarters here yesterday.

SAC Zainol said two of them were from Batam while the other three were from Riau, Indonesia. They are aged between 29 and 56 years old.

“Some of them are labourers and construction workers.

“They will be remanded until Nov 3 to aid investigations,” he said, adding that the case was being investigated as armed robbery under Section 395/397 of the Penal Code.