KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia): Police crippled a car theft syndicate specialising in luxury cars with the arrest of a 34-year-old man in Taman Usahawan, Kepong, last Sunday.

Police also recovered five cars worth more than RM900,000.

Sentul police chief Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Sofian Md Yasin said the suspect had led police to the place where the cars were hidden.

The cars were stolen in the Klang Valley and Johor Baru.

Police also raided the suspect's condominium unit where they seized two axes, three parang, computers used to make counterfeit road tax discs, 15 fake registration plate numbers, 10 condominium access cards and 40 car keys.

He said police had been monitoring the suspect for a week before they moved in on him.

Ahmad said police were looking for other gang members, which included a married couple.

Meanwhile, police are looking for Lim Kwan Hoong, IC-840424-07-5033 from Penang, Lim Kin Ling, IC-760516-05-5731 and Teow Kai Hui, IC-A1749357 to help in investigations.

They had lived in the condominium unit for a year.

He said the syndicate targeted cars in housing areas and shopping centres. Stolen cars would be stripped bare and the cannibalised parts sold.

In Putrajaya, the Anti-Corruption Agency said the other luxury car syndicate busted last week not only forged the signature of a senior government officer but also produced fake letter heads and rubber stamps bearing names of several VIPs.

ACA deputy director-general Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed said the syndicate had forged the signature of Customs director-general Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid and used a rubber stamp bearing the name of Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop.

The rubber stamp was seized when ACA officers raided the premises of two Datuks, believed to be behind the syndicate, on July 19.

Both were believed to be responsible for using fake documents to import luxury cars through the Customs' checkpoint in Port Klang without having to pay import duty.

Abu Kassim said the two, aged 35 and 45, had been arrested to help in investigations.

Also seized were 13 luxury cars with unpaid tax of RM3 million, a card-printing machine and stacks of documents purportedly issued by the Customs Department.

The ACA and Customs Department signed a memorandum of understanding three weeks ago under which the ACA would assist the department to rectify weaknesses in its procedures so as to reduce the possibility of corruption.-NST