Series of Bintulu shop break-ins solved with trio’s arrest, say police

BINTULU (Feb 23): Police arrested three men, believed to be involved in a series of shop break-ins here, following an operation in Tanjung Batu on Saturday.

Bintulu police chief Supt Nixon Joshua Ali said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) personnel made the arrests during a raid on a house at around 11.30pm.

“During the operation, police seized various housebreaking tools, including modified screwdrivers, assorted keys, as well as stolen items such as a drilling machine and mobile phones,” he said in a statement.

Investigations revealed that the group’s modus operandi was to use keys to open the roller shutter doors of business premises before fleeing with cash and other valuables.

“Checks further found that two of the suspects are repeat offenders, each with nine previous criminal records involving housebreaking, robbery, and drug-related offences,” Nixon said.

All three suspects have been remanded under Section 457 of the Penal Code for housebreaking and theft.

Nixon urged premises owners to enhance their security measures and to channel information on criminal activities to the police to ensure Bintulu remains safe.