Swoop on illegal racers
10 Jul 2006
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JOHOR BARU: It was a mammoth operation involving a helicopter, 140 policemen on motorcycles and 10 police cars.
It was like a scene from the movie Fast and Furious, with cars and motorcycles revving their engines and hundreds of spectators jostling for positions at 2am yesterday.
The night sky was suddenly illuminated by a searchlight and by the sound of whirling helicopter blades.
It was near-pandemonium as the 600 people who had gathered at the access road to the Second Link bridge at Gelang Patah got into their vehicles and tried to escape.
But the police team was well prepared, with the helicopter circling overhead, the men in blue on motorcycles, and patrol cars blocking the 10 exits around the area to round up the illegal racers and their spectators.
At the end of the operation around 5am, about 600 people were brought to the Johor Baru North police station for their particulars to be taken.
Johor Baru North traffic police chief Inspector Bakri Zainal Abidin said 34 people were detained for illegal racing, including two civil servants and two students.
More than 400 cars and 150 motorcycles, including some with Singapore registration plates, were impounded.
The weekly races offered winners lucrative cash prizes and the promise of sexual favours from young women.
The races have attracted hundreds of people, participants and spectators, mostly youths, over the past three months.
Minutes before police moved in yesterday, spectators who had parked their vehicles by the roadside were cheering as the motorcycles and cars lined up.
With engines revving and horns blaring, everyone was anticipating the race’s start when the spotlight from the sky put paid to their plans.
The three-km, six-lane stretch of road was being turned into a racing circuit every weekend, making life difficult for residents in the area.
On receiving complaints from residents, police had checked out the activities before launching the operation.
"This is a major link from Gelang Patah to the highway, but residents said the road was inaccessible to them ever since the illegal races started.
"We are investigating whether the races involved betting, and who was organising them," Bakri said.
He said those found guilty of illegal racing face a jail term up to five years and a maximum fine of RM15,000.
"We decided to let off the spectators with a warning this time. In future, they will be charged and face a fine of RM2,000."
**Quote from NST, http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Monday/Frontpage/20060710073347/Article/index_html