The ongoing police operation ‘Ops Cantas' is showing its effectiveness so much so members of secret societies are attempting to flee to neighbouring countries to remove their tattoos depicting logos of triads.

NONE Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar today said some were caught while trying to travel to neighbouring countries.

He said arrested gang members told the police that they feared they would be nabbed if they sought to remove the tattoos locally.

Khalid added the police would continue to monitor Malaysian borders closely to trace those who came back to the country after having their tattoos removed.

Asked how the police could identify them, Khalid merely said that it was easier.

Khalid added that statistics showed a reduction in serious crime rate after the implementation of ‘Ops Cantas’.

Secret societies registered with ROS

Meanwhile, Khalid said there were secret societies that had registered under different names with the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

He was responding to complaints lodged by three associations to the ROS that they should not be listed among 49 secret societies announced by the Home Ministry recently, claiming that they were not engaging in illegal activities.

NONE “We (the police) are monitoring those who had successfully registered, and we will take action (against them),” he said.

Khalid ( left ) also warned the gangsters that police could still take action against them despite their certificates of approval from the ROS.

Asked how many secret societies had received such permits, Khalid refused to reveal details but only answering briefly: “More than three. The police will announce soon.”

On the Ops Bersepadu, a massive joint operation to hunt down illegal foreign workers, Khalid said police had found that some of the workers were possibly involved in the gangsters’ activities.

To this, he said ‘Ops Cantas’ would be carried out simultaneously with ‘Ops Bersepadu” to investigate those illegal foreign workers.