Police and customs officers with the seized cloned vehicles at the Dang Wangi police headquarters on Tuesday
KUALA LUMPUR: The police have arrested 33 people for buying cloned vehicles that were smuggled into Malaysia and confiscated 33 vehicles worth RM3mil.
The 33 - aged between 25 and 40 years old - were arrested between 2015 and 2016 under an operation codenamed Ops Lejang Khas, said Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Sukri Kaman.
ACP Mohd Sukri added that owning a cloned vehicle is a crime punishable under Section 29(1) of the Minor Laws Act 1955 and said that the police will take action against anyone guilty of purchasing cloned vehicles.
He noted that the 33 individuals arrested under Ops Lejang Khas were all buyers, and have already been charged in court.
"Some of them were lured into buying cloned vehicles because the price is much lower than the market value. Some of them were genuinely clueless, but this is not an excuse that we will accept," he said.
ACP Mohd Sukri said cloned vehicles are typically sold for a price between RM20,000 and RM50,000, depending on the make of the car.
He added that buyers are lured into purchasing the vehicles - which are deemed to be "scrap" in the countries they are smuggled from - due to the cheap price.
ACP Sukri said that these cars would usually be advertised on online marketing platforms such as Mudah.my.
"A vehicle that is advertised for a price lower than the market value is dubious. Don’t be duped into buying these cheap cars. We urge the public to report any individual found selling cloned vehicles," he added.
Cloned cars often involve scrapped vehicles from Singapore taking on the identity of a Malaysian-registered vehicle with cloned road tax discs and car grants.
The process involves changing the engine and chassis numbers and making cloned road tax discs and car grants with details input into the Road Transport Department (JPJ) system.
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/01/24/police-arrest-33-seize-33-cloned-vehicles/#dRFPqPL8PcRkwtq9.99
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