Kathmandu, February 17
Malaysian police have busted a gang of Nepalis allegedly involved in extortion and robberies. The gang has 11 members, including two women.
Police in the Seberang Perai Tengah state of Malaysia said they nabbed all alleged gang members, aged between 22 and 36 years, during raids in Juru and Taman Perwira on Wednesday. The arrestees, including the 36-year-old ring leader, face charges of committing extortion and robberies against their own countrymen based in Malaysia.
Police suspect the ring leader, based in Kuala Lumpur, was there to collect protection money from gang members.
A probe has revealed that the gang named Penang Young Star Gang used to collect 25 ringgit from each Nepali every month in the name of ‘protection money’.
According to police, each member has tattoos in their bodies. They each sport a special type of tattoo to identify them as members of the same gang, police said. The ring, according to police, used to organise special ceremonies for its members. It had reportedly been using one of the houses that police raided as its recruitment centre.
Items recovered during the raid include Nepali khukuri, Nepal’s national flag, an idol and musical instruments, police said, claiming that none of the gang members had valid travel documents.
