Men snacked before robbing storekeeper

KOTA KINABALU: Two men who took the time to eat crackers before robbing a shopkeeper of cigarettes and cash have been arrested.

The suspects, aged 25 and 27, were detained by police in Pekan Inanam Baru and Kg Lobou near here on Sept 6 and were remanded until today.

City police chief Asst Comm M. Chandra said that in the Aug 28 incident, the men, who tested positive for drugs, entered a 24-hour convenience store in Menggatal and bought two packets of crackers.

“After buying the snacks, they sat outside the store and ate these before going back inside.

“They then pulled out a machete and a knife and robbed the shopkeeper of 55 packets of cigarettes and RM200 before fleeing on a motorcycle,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Police have seized various items from the men, including two mobile phones, a parang, two packets of cigarettes and a motorcycle believed to have been used in the robbery.

The men now face a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping for armed robbery if convicted.