SEPANG, July 24 — Eleven men were brought before the Sessions Court today on charges of being members of an organised crime syndicate known as 'Vinod Gang'.
No plea was recorded after the charges were read before Judge Husna Dzulkifly, as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
All 11 are accused of being members of the syndicate in Bandar Rimbayu, Telok Panglima Garang, between April 2024 and June 27, 2026, under Section 130V(1) of the Penal Code.
They are Muhammad Vinod Saktivel, 30, believed to be the group's leader; M Puvaneswaran, 34; Lawrence Alfred, 34; G Sanggeethan, 31; M Naviedran, 29; and S Sri Tharan, 27; M Surenthar, 27; N A N Viknesvaran, 27; J M Kishaan, 24; R Shervinkumar, 23; and T Saarvin, 21.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Chow Siang Kong and Muhammad Syahrezal Mohd Shukri appeared for the prosecution, while the accused were represented by lawyers T Mishant and S Devan.
The court set September 14 for the next mention of the case.
Earlier, all 11 accused arrived at the court compound at 9am under heavy security from the Royal Malaysia Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
They had been arrested on June 23 and 24 through Ops Rapido, a joint operation led by Bukit Aman CID in collaboration with its Selangor counterpart.
In a statement yesterday, Bukit Aman CID director Datuk M. Kumar said the group is believed to have been active since 2023 and involved in gang robberies, attempted murder, armed rioting, causing injury with weapons, and mischief.
The group's modus operandi was to commit armed robberies using machetes or sharp weapons, targeting residential premises to gain material profit, power, or influence.
The arrest of the 11 individuals has led to the solving of 21 cases and the crippling of one active armed gang robbery syndicate in Selangor.
The police are actively tracking down five other individuals believed to be members of the group, who remain at large.
