9 Thais held over fake guns, knives
SYNDICATE: They threatened mosque caretaker with gun, say cops
FAKE guns and knives were recovered from nine Thai nationals who claimed they came here to collect donations.
The foreigners, including a 14year-old boy, were arrested after the caretaker of a mosque at Bandar Baru here around midnight yesterday said he was threatened with a gun.
District police chief Superintendent Dr Abdul Aziz Awang Darus said the group could be part of a syndicate that collected donations illegally in Thailand.
Four fake guns, four knives, two vehicles, documents requesting donations, 123 ball bearings, containers and RM1,500 cash were recovered from the suspects, including two women, aged between 14 and 50.
“The group went to the mosque to spend the night, but was disallowed by the caretaker,” Aziz said, adding one of them became angry and showed the caretaker “a gun”.
“The caretaker had alerted police, who sent a team to the mosque,” he said.
Apart from checking the group’s activities in collecting “donations”, the police will also probe if they were involved in extortion cases.
Meanwhile, police recovered a Sig Sauer pistol, a magazine loaded with 10 bullets and a machete from a man in Jinjang Selatan, Sentul, on Sunday.
Sentul district police chief Assistant Commissioner R. Munusamy said the 37-year-old habitual offender was apprehended after a businessman claimed his house was broken into at Taman Jinjang Baru.
“We are investigating where the man got the gun from,” Munusamy said.