Twelve people have been arrested for allegedly being involved in a group robbery and impersonating police officers at a residence in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Fadil Marsus said police received a report on Aug 1 from a Japanese national, who claimed that his employer, a 38-year-old Taiwanese YouTuber, had been assaulted and robbed.
“The victim was injured and suffered losses estimated at more than RM35,000.
“Investigations found that the suspects allegedly knew the victim had a large amount of foreign currency in his possession, which is believed to have motivated the robbery,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Following the report, the Cheras District Police Headquarters Criminal Investigation Division, together with the Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department, launched a special operation and arrested 12 individuals in separate locations across Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Kuala Lumpur.
Fadil said the first arrest was made on Aug 2, followed by the others in stages as police worked to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The suspects comprised eight men and four women, all Malaysians aged between 26 and 48.
Of the 12 arrested, seven were released on police bail on Aug 7 after their statements were recorded, while the remaining five have been remanded until Thursday to assist investigations.
The case is being investigated under Section 170 of the Penal Code for impersonating a public servant and Section 395 for gang robbery.
Police are also tracking down another suspect who remains at large to assist investigations and face legal action.
