Hunt is on for syndicate that used a child in RM5.2mil ring heist
Child steals RM5.2 diamond ring
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PETALING JAYA: Police are on the hunt for a syndicate that used a child to steal a diamond ring reportedly valued at RM5.2mil from a jewellery store.
The syndicate allegedly used women and a young girl, believed to be aged between eight and 10, to pull off the jewellery heist at about 3.50pm on Thursday.
The girl allegedly unlocked the glass showcase while the women distracted the three sales assistants by pretending to look at a selection of jewellery in a different part of the store in Bukit Bintang.
City CID chief Asst Comm Khairi Ahrasa said the police had obtained CCTV footage of the suspects involved in the heist, including a male Chinese national, believed to be the mastermind behind the operation.
“We will increase efforts to track them down. We already have images of the suspects and it is only a matter of time before we catch up with them,” he said yesterday.
He added that initial investigations revealed that the mastermind also played a part in the heist by inquiring about the multi-million ring minutes before the women and child entered the store.
“We have performed a spot-check on a nearby hotel and carried out roadblocks around the area in search of the suspects. We are also widening the hunt to other parts of the city,” he said.
ACP Khairi said it was alarming that the syndicate used children to carry out their criminal activities.
Caught in the act: CCTV screen grab showing one of the women suspects (left) and the Chinese national believed to be the mastermind.
“We urge anyone with information to contact the nearest police station as soon as possible,” he said.
In Thursday’s incident, it is learnt the little girl had signalled the women to leave the store as soon as she had removed the diamond ring from the display case. All four left the premises at about 4.07pm.
The staff only realised that the diamond ring had gone missing upon reviewing a CCTV recording of the four suspects.
The recording also showed a man entering and leaving the store ahead of the women, in an act that roused the suspicions of the police.
This is not the first time that a robbery gang had used such a modus operandi.
In May last year, a local group of thieves used women and children to divert the attention of staff before stealing jewellery by sleight of hand. The group reportedly consisted of four women, two children and a man who would enter an outlet on the pretext of making a purchase.
Members of the group would allegedly request the staff to show them one piece of jewellery after another before stealing it once they were distracted.
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