A Vietnamese crew of five men who were arrested for breaking into a supermarket last month have been charged and have made an appearance in a Malaysian court.
The suspects Nguyen Van Hop, Ha Van Khanh, Pham Van Xuan, Nghiem Van Long and Tran Xuan Thong allegedly broke into a supermarket in Ayer Hitam, Kedah on July 2. They escaped with money allegedly stolen from a safe, New Straits Times reported. The five made no plea in court as they did not speak Malay.
The men were in a Proton car when they were arrested in the Sungai Petani area. The police found crowbars, grinders, blades and screwdrivers in the car, The Star reported last month. The five were reportedly caught just as they were escaping from another robbery at a rice mill in Kubang Pasu.
The court scheduled another appearance for September 19 with a translator scheduled to be present. Bail was not granted to any of the five.
The “Tebuk” gang achieved their notoriety from robbing supermarkets and warehouses, and are thought to have been responsible for robberies totaling about 100,000 ringgit (US$24,312). If found guilty of robbery, the group may be sent to jail for up to 14 years.