Police play down rumours of robbers disguised as hamper deliverymen
BY RASHVINJEET S.BEDI AND FARIK ZOLKEPLI
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PETALING JAYA: The police have played down a warning circulating on the Internet and messaging services that a gang of robbers are gaining access to houses under the guise of delivering hampers to occupants.
"We have not received any reports thus we can confirm that there were no such incidents in Kuala Lumpur. If there are such cases, then we would have been on top of it," said acting City CID chief Asst Comm Khairi Ahrasa
He said the said the messages were untrue as the police had not received any reports concerning the gang but advised the public to be wary of such scams.
"It is better to be more vigilant especially during the holiday season. While no reports have been received, we will still keep an eye out for such gangs," he said.
The warning being circulated spoke of a gang that entered private premises on the pretext of delivering hampers and subsequently robbing them.
It alleged one such incident occurred in Kota Kinabalu in March 2012, where a "hamper gang" robbed a government servant of RM30,000.
The rumour related that an unsuspecting maid allowed the robbers in on the pretext of delivering hampers, who then pulled out a knife and a machete concealed beneath from the hampers.
However, crime analysts warned that robbers would employ many tactics to fool unsuspecting homeowners.
MCA public services and complaints department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said that he had not heard of any "hamper robberies" but had previously handled one case involving the "delivery" of cooking gas.
He too warned people to be wary of those appearing with hampers.
"This could very likely happen during Chinese New Year, when there are lots of hamper deliveries.
"I have told my maid not to let anyone in but to leave the hampers outside the house," he said.
Malaysian Crime Awareness Campaign founder Mark Soh said he had not heard about "hamper robberies", but knew of similar cases involving courier services.
"They even dress up in uniforms. During the festive seasons especially, people may take advantage of any opportunity to rob. It is always good to be extra cautious," he said.
