Pawn Shop Manager Allegedly Behind RM5.7 Mln Heist

PASIR MAS, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- A female manager who has worked for 17 years at a pawn shop here is suspected to be the mastermind behind a robbery of RM5.7 million in jewellery at the shop, said Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat.

He said the woman, in her 40s, is believed to have betrayed the trust of her employer in Terengganu by orchestrating the heist with her boyfriend.

"Besides the manager and her boyfriend, police also arrested five other individuals, including four employees and a security guard, to assist in the investigation.

"All suspects aged between 26 and 66 were arrested in three separate raids in Pasir Mas, Kota Bharu, and Rawang," he said at the Pasir Mas police headquarters today.

Mohd Yusoff said police received a report at about 1 pm on Tuesday regarding the robbery.

According to him, the male suspect devised a modus operandi of spraying a sanitiser and brandishing a knife at customers at the pawn shop before taking out 10.9 kilogrammes of jewellery worth RM5.7 million from a safe.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident was meticulously planned by the manager and her boyfriend.

"The first operation was carried out in Pasir Mas on the day of the incident at about 4 pm, and police arrested four women and a man who was also an employee, including a security guard," he said.

Mohd Yusoff said the second raid was carried out at a house in Rawang, Selangor, before arresting a 49-year-old man and seizing two knives, a disinfectant liquid, and a sum of cash.

He said that, based on information from the suspect, police then launched a third raid on a house in Kota Bharu last Saturday and managed to find 933 plastic bags containing jewellery worth RM5.7 million.

“During the raid, police also arrested the female manager and the homeowner involved,” he said.

Mohd Yusoff said all the suspects are on remand until Thursday, adding that investigations show they have no criminal records and tested negative for drugs.

“The case is being investigated under Section 395 of the Penal Code for gang robbery,” he said.

-- BERNAMA