Police nab gang that steals money from mosque donation boxes

Six men were arrested on suspicion of being involved in seven cases of stealing money from mosque donation boxes in Shah Alam.

Shah Alam district police chief ACP Shafien Mamat said the suspects, aged 25 to 32, were arrested in four raids around Taman Seri Muda, here, Monday.

"The police seized two motorcycles and a car believed to be used by the suspects to commit the crimes.

"Tools allegedly used to steal the money from the donation boxes such as screwdrivers and wire hangers were also seized," he said in a statement here, today.

He said the group was believed to have been active for the past two months.

According to Shafien, the arrests were made after a 25-year-old man believed to be a member of the group was caught red-handed by several committee members of Masjid Munawwarah in Section 27 here, at about 4.30am on Dec 30.

He said the modus operandi of the group was to use wire hangers with glue placed on the tip to fish out money from the donation boxes.

"Urine tests also found all suspects positive for drugs," he said.

He said the suspects were remanded for four days until Saturday to facilitate investigations under Section 380 of the Penal Code. - BERNAMA