135 'Mat Rempit' Grounded In Weekend Blitz In Seberang Jaya

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Sept 14 (Bernama) -- Police confiscated 135 motorcycles and issued 614 summonses for traffic offences in an operation, dubbed OP Tutup Samseng Jalanan Bersepadu, on the North-South Expressway (PLUS) exit at Jalan Permatang Pauh, Seberang Jaya here early today.

The Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) district police headquarters (IPD) stated that in the operation, six people were also arrested under Section 42 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 and three were arrested by the SPT IPD Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division after testing positive for methamphetamine and ketamine.

"The operation was carried out to combat the illegal activities of the mat rempit street gangs in the area, and 400 motorcycles were inspected before 135 were seized and 614 summonses issued for traffic offences.

"In the operation, police detected several groups of teenagers on motorcycles and cars gathering by PLUS and the Permatang Pauh exit to watch the daredevil spectacle of motorcyclists racing against each other," according to a statement on its Facebook page tonight.

The statement said the races took place on a holiday weekend, causing annoyance to highway users as most of the mat rempit were racing at high speeds on public roads.

Most unnerving in street racing is the thunderous high-pitched racket from the exhaust of modified bikes riding against traffic flow, executing motorcycle wheelies at high speed and riding zigzag which endangers not only the bikers and other road users at large.

--BERNAMA