Twin brothers who lead a gang of luxury-car thieves have been making generous donations to orphanages and other charities, a report said today.

The 25-year-old modern-day Robin Hoods who rob the rich and give at least part of the proceeds to the poor are believed to have donated thousands of ringgit worth of food to several orphanages, The Star daily reported.

Police uncovered the gang's generosity after the recent arrest of four young members in the capital Kuala Lumpur, when they discovered receipts for the donations to charitable organisations, the paper said.

The robbers specialise in the latest Mercedes and BMW models, usually forcing the owners to give up their cars by threatening them with machetes as they wait for the gates to open at their homes.

The thieves are said to have stolen at least 20 cars valued at RM4.5 million in the past year.

City deputy CID chief Syed Ismail Azizan confirmed that police were looking for the twins, the paper said. - AFP