Malaysian Thieves Pose As Interpol Officers, Rob Tourists
June 3, 2004 11:32 p.m.
KUALA LUMPUR (AP)--A gang of pickpockets posing as Interpol officers in Malaysia's largest city has stolen more than 170,000 ringgit ($1=MYR3.8) simply by stopping tourists and telling them to hand over their wallets, a newspaper reported Friday.
The gang asked for the victims' wallets or purses on the premise of looking for drugs, the Star reported. Finding none, the fake officers apologized for the inconvenience and let their victims go - after surreptitiously stealing any cash or valuables.
The paper, citing unnamed police officials, said the thieves operated in the Kuala Lumpur tourist and shopping district known as the Golden Triangle and had struck 34 times since early this year, swiping MYR170,000 from tourists from two-dozen countries.
Well-dressed and riding in rented cars, the gang cruise the streets between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. looking for foreign tourists, the report said. They flash false Interpol identity cards and, after robbing them, tell them to enjoy their stay in Malaysia before driving off.
Police have stepped up patrols in the Golden Triangle to try to catch the gang, which has so far evaded police by keeping on the move and regularly switching cars, the paper said.
A police spokesman was not immediately available to confirm the report.
