They sew loot into hems, ship clothes to Colombia

They lived the high life.

They rented luxury condominiums in the Shah Alam area in Kuala Lumpur for about RM6,000 (S$1,970) a month.

They drove around in expensive rented vehicles.

But the group from Colombia was anything but high flying.

The three-member gang of burglars broke into high-end homes and made off with gold and other jewellery.

And they had an unique way of disposing their loot.

The gold they stole from homes in Klang Valley and Petaling Jaya were sewn into clothing and sent by post to their home country, the New Straits Times reported.

But their "outside-the-box" modus operandi was finally exposed after police arrested the three suspects, aged between 29 and 47, following a raid at a luxury condominium in Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.

Selangor Criminal Investigation Department chief Mohd Adnan Abdullah said the police tailed the three Latin American suspects after receiving an intelligence report on Monday.

FAKE GUN

Mr Adnan said: "In the raid, police found jewellery, believed to be stolen loot, sewn into the hem of clothing items such as shirts and pants.

"Police also seized a fake gun, house break-in tools, a scale for weighing gold, mobile phones and jewellery estimated to be worth millions of ringgit."

Mr Adnan said that before breaking into a house, the trio would make sure there was nobody at home by ringing the doorbell.

They also turned off the closed-circuit television camera using special equipment from Colombia, which was also seized during the raid.

Police said they have been involved in the racket since April. They also constantly moved houses to prevent being detected.

Mr Adnan said that with the arrest of the three men, the police believe they have solved 10 cases in Klang Valley and Petaling Jaya.

He said: "We will continue our investigation as we believe there are several other members of the same syndicate who are still active out there."

This article was first published on November 5, 2015.
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