KEPALA BATAS, Jan 30 — Police have arrested two women and a man to facilitate investigations into the discovery of a hand grenade at a house in Kampung Lalang, Bukit Mertajam near here yesterday.

Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) District Police Chief ACP Abdul Rahman Ibrahim said the arrest at about 3pm yesterday, involved the wife and two in-laws of the house owner who was arrested on Wednesday (January 28).

“The house owner’s wife in her 30s is unemployed while the two in-laws in their early 20s are also tenants of the house.         

“Police investigations revealed that the house owner aged 36 and a man who was arrested with him on Wednesday (January 28) belong to a gang led by Joe Mafia, a prisoner shot dead after escaping from police in January two years ago,” he told at a press conference here today.

Yesterday, a hand grenade wrapped in plastic and hidden in a bag of glutinous rice was discovered by a police team who inspected the house at 10am.

The house inspection was made following interrogation on two men aged 28 and 36 years, arrested on suspicion of harbouring a fugitive two years ago.

Abdul Rahman said following investigations, it was found that there were several more Joe Mafia gang members actively involved in drug trafficking, burglary and robbery around the state and police are currently hunting them down.

“The gang is very dangerous as they are in possession of firearms and grenades, believed to have been acquired from a neighbouring country and used for self-defence,” he said.

He said following the arrest of the five individuals, police recovered the loot from the gang’s activities worth close to RM100,000.

Police believe with the arrests they could solve three burglary cases, two in SPU and one in Kulim, Kedah.

“The house had been used as a base for the Joe Mafia gang to conduct their drug deals and store stolen items,” said Abdul Rahman.

On January 7, 2013, nine prisoners including Joe Mafia, in transit from Penang Prison to Butterworth court escaped when they seized the police van and splashed chilli powder on the police escorts. — Bernama