Mat Rempit gangs are often likened to sharks in a feeding frenzy, in that they tend to circle and terrorise their victims before pouncing on them. But 21 Mat Rempit in the Klang Valley recently met their match when they were caught in a police dragnet.
Sentul police chief Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Sofian Md Yassin said the suspects, all in their 20s, are believed to be involved in more than 30 cases of robbery in the Klang Valley, since the beginning of this year.
"The suspects comprise men from two groups - 17 from 'Gang 77' and four who called themselves 'Rempit Town'.
"All of them were picked up between May 29 and June 11 in various areas around the Klang Valley."And although they are from two different groups, their modus operandi was similar," Ahmad Sofian told a press conference yesterday.
Describing their tactics, he said the suspects would tail potential victims, usually lone drivers in the middle of the night or early in the morning. When the victims' vehicle stops, the men would surround it with their 'kapchai' motorcycles.
"The men use their helmets to smash their victims' window, before robbing them of their valuables.
"The money they get from the robberies are usually used to modify their motorcycles, which will then be used for illegal racing."
"Rempit Town" members are believed to be involved in four robberies, while 'Gang 77' members have struck about 30 times. The suspects are mostly from Gombak, while several are from Selayang, Petaling Jaya and Seremban.
"Police are checking with their counterparts in other districts and Selangor to see if the suspects are involved in any similar cases."He said police also seized 26 handphones and two gold chains, worth about RM20,000 and 11 motorcycles.