Cross-border racket in motorbikes busted
A gang that stole motorcycles in Hong Kong streets and smuggled them in pieces to the mainland was smashed after the arrest of its alleged ringleader yesterday, police said.
At least five other people suspected to have been members of the syndicate were being hunted last night.
The organised crime and triad bureau, which investigated the gang after a tip-off, said it had been in operation for about six months.
The bureau said the thieves used a device to disable the motorcycles' alarms before stealing, dismantling and shipping them across the border in bags.
Superintendent Tommy Yu Tat-chung said the syndicate was thought to be linked to at least four reports of stolen motorcycles. He said police were investigating whether it was connected with other cases.
A motorcycle reported stolen in Tseung Kwan O last month was recovered and three suspected stolen cars were also seized when officers raided a garage in Pat Heung yesterday. The raid came after the garage, in Ma On Kong Tsuen off Kam Ho Road in Pat Heung, was identified in a probe lasting a month and a half.
About 20 officers burst into the building around noon and found the 42-year-old suspect, an unemployed man, dismantling the stolen vehicle.
Mr Yu said that after disabling the alarm, the thieves would load the motorcycle into the back of a seven-seat van. After dismantling, the parts were put in large nylon bags and taken across the border, where they were reassembled and sold at underground markets for HK$10,000 to HK$30,000 each.
Describing the operation as well planned, Mr Yu said the thieves could use a screwdriver to start a stolen motorcycle. 'They stole what the underground market needed or buyers wanted,' he said, adding that Honda 400cc and 250cc machines were the main targets.
Last night, the alleged mastermind was being held for questioning and no charge had been laid.
