JOHOR BARU: A cloned car syndicate from Singapore was detected using Johor as a temporary transit before transferring the vehicles into Thailand, at least after a week of forgery of document was completed.

Johor Road Transport Department director Razali Wagiman said this followed the arrest of a 26-year-old local man who was driving in a BMW, alleged to be a cloned car from Singapore.

“The suspect was arrested in Kebun Teh after showing us fake travel documents and International Circulation Permit (ICP) to us,“ he said in a press conference on Hari Raya Aidilfitri operation at Road Transport Department (JPJ) Complex here today.

According to Razali, the BMW which was driven by the suspect bore the registration number and document from Thailand while the manufacturer code and chassis number were from Singapore.

“Investigation with Singapore’ Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Thailand police found the vehicle was registered in Singapore in 2008, while the registration number existed in Bangkok, Thailand for the same car but a white colour BMW,“ he added.

He said, checks also found that vehicle was registered with the SJW 2438T number and was supposed to be scrapped last year but cloned in Bangkok with the number of 5AA 8095, to be sold in Thailand’s black market for RM30,000.

Razali said the BMW was seized while the statement recorded from the man on the recovery of cloned-car and he is being investigated under Section 108 (3) (f) for exhibiting a fake registration license number.

Explaining further, he added the syndicate selling cloned cars will usually use the same registration numbers similar to those of the same type of legitimate vehicles in the country.

“However, the current modus operandi has changed, when the syndicate uses fake car documents from Thailand while maintaining the chassis number to obscure the enforcement personnel during the raid.

“When it is Malaysia’s registration number, we know who is the owner of the vehicle, but the syndicate uses documents from Thailand including car grant and chassis number to confuse us,“ said Razali.

He said the vehicle fabrication process will take nearly a week before it was transferred to Thailand via ICP which had been amended, deleted and falsified.

“Johor becomes a temporary transit location to do documents before the vehicles with status to be discarded, are brought to Thailand,“ he said, adding JPJ was investigating this matter. — Bernama