Gardener Turned Gang Leader Fined RM22,500 For Theft, Mischief, Trespassing

MANJUNG, Oct 16 (Bernama) -- A gardener who is also the leader of the 'Dinesh Gang' was fined RM22,500 by the Magistrate's Court here today after pleading guilty to 11 charges of theft, mischief, and trespassing.

The accused, A. Dinesh Kumar, 24, pleaded guilty after all the charges against him were read out to him before Magistrate Fakhrul Razzi Abd Hamid.

The court ordered a jail term of three to 12 months if the accused failed to pay the fine.

According to the charges, Dinesh allegedly committed all the offences between 6 and 8 am on Aug 24 and Sept 27 this year around Sitiawan in the Manjung district.

He was charged under Section 427 of the Penal Code with committing mischief by breaking the windshield of a car, causing a loss of RM500. If convicted, he could be imprisoned for one to five years or fined or both.

Dinesh is alleged to have committed the offence at a house in Taman Raja Muda Musa, Sitiawan, at 7 am on Sept 27

In addition, he was also charged for four offences under Section 379 of the Penal Code for theft. The  offences saw him stealing shoes, handbags, card-holder bags from cars, and gold bar cards from four residences around Sitiawan between 6 am on Sept 4 and 8 am on Sept 27. If convicted of the offence, it carries a maximum imprisonment of seven years or a fine or both.

Six more charges were also made against him under Section 447 of the Penal Code for criminal trespass. This saw him breaking into six residences around Sitiawan to commit an illegal act between 1.10 am on Aug 24 and 12.35 am on Sept 16. If convicted, he could be jailed for a maximum of six months or fined a maximum of RM3,000 or both.

The prosecution was represented by Prosecuting Officer Inspector Nurjihan Jaya, while the accused was represented by Nur Shaqira Ibrahim from the National Legal Aid Foundation.

Last week, Perak police chief Datuk Azizi Mat Aris said police had busted the 'Dinesh Gang' involved in several vehicle theft cases in the Manjung district.

The gang, comprising two men and a woman aged 24 to 26 from Johor, is believed to have been actively involved in theft offences in the district since early September.

-- BERNAMA