Children trained as thieves by parents

Cheras police chief ACP Mohan Singh Tara Singh (left )
shows the shoe in which the jewellery was hidden.

KUALA LUMPUR - Three children allegedly trained by their parents to be slick thieves preyed on kids aged between five and seven during the holiday season when they stole jewellery from their victims.

The brothers, aged 15 and 16, and their 13-year-old sister, spent their school holiday this year attending the Jom Heboh carnival in various states, where they befriended young kids while their father, 50, and mother, 43, targeted adults.

Cheras police chief ACP Mohan Singh Tara Singh said the family from Sabah is believed to have committed more than 30 thefts at carnivals.

However, Mohan said police have only received two police reports so far.

“We believe many did not come forward as they assumed their children misplaced or dropped the jewellery.

I urge those who lost their belongings at such carnivals to lodge a report,” he said.

Mohan also said the family would usually target children whose guardians were busy shopping or watching concerts at the carnival.

Police received a tip-off at the weekend from a member of the public who found the family acting suspiciously.

A task force called Ops Rentap was then deployed to the carnival in Bukit Jalil on Sunday.

Police managed to nab the suspects later at a five-star hotel in Bukit Bintang at about 7pm.

Police found gold chains and earrings hidden inside the father’s shoe.

More jewellery (most of it cut), handphones, wallets, scaling machines and cash worth RM4,500 were found in the room.

Police also found more than 10 receipts indicating some of the stolen jewellery were already sold.

Mohan described the family to be “organised thieves” and believe they’ve been active since the beginning of 2012.

“We believe they moved from Johor to Penang during the Jom Heboh carnival there and lived in luxury hotels to look less suspicious.They had all their targetted locations planned out.”

Mohan said all the suspects will be remanded till Friday to facilitate investigations.

Background checks also showed the father had five past records, while the mother had one, for similar offences.