Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat said the couple, aged 36 and 47, were detained in front of a convenience store at Jalan Sri Cemerlang here.

The couple, who allegedly smashed the windows of cars in parking lots to break into the vehicles, were arrested following another incident at 6.10pm the same day.

Yusoff said their arrest led to the seizure of a car, a mobile phone, a tablet and laptop, seven bags, three debit cards, a spanner and a ring, among others.

“Investigations revealed that they had been active for the past year, and the male suspect also admitted to training several new recruits.

“Their method involved targeting parking lots without CCTV cameras to avoid detection,” he said at a press conference at the Kelantan police headquarters today.

The male suspect had three previous drug-related offences and a criminal record, while his partner had no prior record. Both of them tested positive for methamphetamine.

The case is being investigated under Section 379 of the Penal Code for theft.