Gang Putting Fear into Residents
Date: 2008-11-29 00:00:00
Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/Na...
Submitted By: Gang Fights
KLANG: The gang of six which went on a bloody rampage in Taman Sentosa on Wednesday night were believed to have been stamping their authority and creating fear among residents to make it easier for them to collect "protection money". Sources familiar with the gang disclosed that four members of the gang had recently been released from the Sungai Buloh prison after serving sentences for robbery. "Wednesday's rampage, although the victims were randomly chosen, was intentionally done to strike fear into the hearts of residents and businessmen in the area." Police believe the thugs are past and present members of Gang 24 involved in murder, gang fights, extortion and armed robbery. Selangor Criminal Investigations Department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner II Hasnan Hassan confirmed that the suspects had been identified but declined to elaborate as investigations were ongoing. He, however, said they believe that apart from the three incidents on Wednesday, the gang was also involved in two other similar cases recently. Hasnan advised the public not to panic and urged them to be alert, as the gang normally used small motorcycles like Honda EX-5, Yamaha and Suzuki. They are also known to have used a Toyota Camry. The vehicles were usually stolen. When using bikes, the thugs usually wore jackets to conceal the parang. Gang 24 normally operated in the Kampung Jawa and Taman Sentosa areas but police said this group had expanded their operations to the whole district. The crimes were reminiscent of incidences in 2001 here when violent crimes peaked. During that year, houses were also burnt. At that time, Gang 24 had a splinter group called Ranggi Guys. Ranggi Guys went on random rampages, beating up people waiting at traffic lights and those sitting in fields or parks. Police responded by launching a massive operation called Ops Copperhead in 2002, which targeted Indian gangsters and those involved in organised crime. The operation managed to weed out a number of criminals from the district and many were banished under preventive laws. In Wednesday's rampage in Taman Sentosa, the parang-wielding gang, believed to be high on drugs, randomly picked their victims before viciously attacking and robbing them in the separate incidents within a 30-minute period. The terror began when they slashed a woman, who tried to protect her 13-year-old daughter, outside a furniture shop in Jalan Raja Nong about 9pm. The woman's husband was slashed when he went to her aid. The woman succumbed to her injuries at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital. Minutes later, the robbers struck next at a kongsi near the KFC outlet in Taman Sentosa where they slashed a security guard on the head and hands, and an Indonesian worker on the leg. Both were robbed. Their next targets were three men, taking shelter from the rain in front of an empty shoplot in Jalan Hulubalang 10. The victims, T. Devindran, 19, M. Saravanan, 27, and another identified as Shahrul, 24, were robbed and slashed. Devindran succumbed to his injuries.
