KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 — Malaysia already has 72 known and active gangs that could overrun the country with criminal activity if left unchecked, said Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department deputy director Datuk Dev Kumar.
In an interview with Malay daily Utusan Malaysia, he said police investigations since 2013 have confirmed that there were at least this number of gangs operating.
Dev Kumar said that among the 72 gangs identified, 49 were confirmed to have been established in 2013, while 23 others were established in 2015 — with a total amount of 9,042 active members.
“Clearly, it is feared gangsterism will increase as aggressive gangs have been seen in blatant turf wars for control of an area for organised crimes activities like drug pushing or gambling,”
“These gangs are willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve their objectives,” he said.
He added that even though the movement control order (MCO) has hampered the gang activities to some extent, they still have control over their respective turf to commit their crimes.
“Hence, the police have gone forward with Ops Cantas to track and arrest members of the participating groups of any organisation gazetted as illegal organisations,” he added.
Commenting further, Kumar said that individuals who join these gangs or illegal organisations can be prosecuted under Section 43 of the Societies Act 1966.
He added that gang members who have tattoos or logos of their gangs on them can also be prosecuted under Section 52(3) of the Societies Act 1966.
Last month, a gang fight between two groups that were armed with machetes in Taman Juara Jaya, Batu 9 Cheras was recorded and the video posted online.
The police later revealed that the incident was a clash between rival gangs for control of the area.
[Video] @PDRMsia tahan 10 suspek lelaki warga tempatan disyaki terlibat kes pergaduhan di Taman Juara, Batu 9 di Cheras yang tular semalam pic.twitter.com/QkOYFb9EeI
— BERNAMA (@bernamadotcom) February 1, 2021
