Trio arrested within 24 hours after burglary

PENAMPANG: Three burglars were arrested by police in less than 24 hours after breaking into a VIP’s home in Putatan, here on Friday.

Penampang police chief DSP Mohd Haris Ibrahim said the suspects, in their early and mid 30s, were arrested in three separate locations by police around 9 pm, less than 24 hours after the incident occurred on Feb 26.

“The victim, who is also a very important person, lodged a police report at 10.20 am on Feb 26 that his home had been burglarized.

“Police investigation revealed the suspects had entered the home from the kitchen after breaking a padlock.

“The suspects are believed to have taken a handphone, RM7,000 cash, credit card and some documents,” he said yesterday.

Following the incident, police managed to arrest three men at three separate locations at 9 pm the same day.

“Police recovered the handphone belonging to the victim from one of the suspects.

“Investigation also revealed that two of the suspects had prior criminal records for drugs while all three suspects tested positive for drug abuse,” said Haris, adding that the case will be investigated under Section 457 of the Penal Code for housebreaking.