'Iriz' gang crippled, 20 break-in cases solved

The police have resolved at least 20 cases involving house break-ins around the Kota Setar district with the arrest of four members of the 'Iriz' gang, including a woman, in a raid conducted on Wednesday.

Kota Setar District Police deputy chief Supt Yazri Ismail said the four suspects, aged 17 to 32, were arrested at a restaurant in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

"At 1.23pm yesterday, a police report was lodged by a homeowner at the Kuala Kedah Police Station regarding a burglary incident involving two houses in Taman Bersatu, Kuala Kedah.

"Based on the information received, the police managed to trace Proton Iriz car rented by the suspects to commit the crime, and it led to the arrest of four suspects at a restaurant nearby the hotel they were staying at," he told reporters at the Kota Setar District Police Headquarters here, on Thursday.

He said the suspects' modus operandi was to enter housing estates as 'visitors' before breaking into houses whose residents were away.

"They will pretend to call or alert the homeowners, and if there is no answer, they will break into the house.

"The group has been active since last year, and they use rental vehicles while committing the crime before putting up at budget hotels around Alor Setar," he said.

Yazri said one of the suspects was wanted by the police for two previous house break-in cases, and urine tests also found three of the suspects positive for drugs.

All the suspects were remanded for seven days from today, and the case is being investigated under Section 457 of the Penal Code.

He added that nearly 20 stolen items worth about RM35,000 were found in the car and hotel room used by the suspects including electronics and jewellery, as well as RM400 in cash.

-- BERNAMA

ASEAN gesa patuhi konsensus lima perkara

Negara-negara anggota ASEAN menzahirkan kebimbangan terhadap ketegangan yang berlaku di Myawaddy, Kayin State yang terletak di sempadan Myanmar-Thailand, serta di Rakhine State, Myanmar.
ASEAN berkata, ia ingin menegaskan semula komitmen untuk membantu Myanmar mencari penyelesaian dengan mewujudkan persekitaran kondusif melalu pelaksanaan penuh Konsensus Lima Perkara yang dipersetujui sebelum ini.

Setiap parti politik ada kaedah sendiri – Zahid

Setiap parti politik di dalam Kerajaan Perpaduan mempunyai kaedah sendiri untuk membantu memenangkan calon mereka pada Pilihan Raya Kecil Kuala Kubu Bharu, bulan depan.

Pengerusi Barisan Nasional (BN), Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas laporan mengenai kenyataan MCA tidak akan berkempen pada PRK itu.

Masih setia dengan UMNO, kritikan hanya untuk beri semangat

Ahli Majlis Kerja Tertinggi (MKT) UMNO, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz menegaskan beliau masih setia bersama parti itu meskipun ada mengkritik kepemimpinan UMNO Selangor sebelum ini.

Bekas Bendahari UMNO Selangor itu berkata, kritikan yang dibuatnya sebelum ini adalah berbentuk konstruktif dan hanya ingin membakar semangat parti itu.

Titah Addendum: Anwar enggan terlibat, itu bidang kuasa Lembaga Pengampunan dan YDP Agong

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim tidak mahu terlibat dengan perbincangan membabitkan titah tambahan berhubung tahanan di rumah membabitkan bekas Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Anwar berkata, ini kerana perkara itu merupakan di bawah bidang kuasa Lembaga Pengampunan Wilayah Persekutuan dan juga melibatkan Yang di-Pertuan Agong dan Raja-Raja Melayu.

Giat Mara Bagan Datuk naik taraf jadi kampus MCI

Giat Mara Bagan Datuk telah dinaik taraf menjadi kampus Malaysia-China Institute (MCI) bagi melatih pelajar tempatan di dalam bidang Latihan Teknikal Dan Vokasional Malaysia (TVET) sebelum di hantar ke China.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata, sejajar dengan itu, keluasan institusi berkenaan serta fasiliti akan ditambah.