MIRI: Police have solved a motorcycle theft case within five days, arresting a 43 year old local man with a criminal record and recovering the stolen vehicle after it was modified in an apparent attempt to evade detection.
The theft was reported on Jan 27 after a Honda NF110 motorcycle was taken from in front of a residential area near a secondary school in Miri.
Acting on intelligence, officers from the Miri district police headquarters carried out a raid on Feb 1 at a house in Marudi, where they arrested the suspect and seized the motorcycle.
Investigators found that the suspect had changed the colour and rims of the motorcycle, a move police believe was intended to disguise the vehicle’s identity.
Checks on the suspect revealed prior records for theft, criminal intimidation and drug abuse. A preliminary urine screening test returned positive for methamphetamine.
Miri district police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the swift arrest and recovery of the vehicle meant the case had been solved.
The suspect has been remanded until Feb 4 to facilitate further investigation under Section 379A of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of not less than one year and up to seven years, and may also include a fine.
ACP Mohd Farhan urged members of the public to continue cooperating with the police by providing timely information to help curb crime in the district. Anyone with information is advised to contact the Miri district police headquarters operations room at 085-433400.
