2 SUSPECTED ROBBERS KILLED IN SHOOTOUT WITH COPS
Alleged criminals left a trail of destruction in high-speed car chase
TWO suspected robbers were shot dead by police yesterday after a 30-minute high-speed car chase left a trail of destruction near Taman Manis here.
In the 4.15am incident, the male suspects, believed to be foreigners, were trailed by a team from Bukit Aman Serious Crime Unit (D9) and the Johor Criminal Investigation Department.
The suspects, who were travelling in a stolen Proton Waja, sped towards Felda Sayong located 2km away, and rammed into a police vehicle.
Johor deputy police chief Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said the suspects fired shots at the police, who returned fire in self-defence.
“Their car skidded and crashed, and we found the two suspected criminals dead,” he said at the crime scene here yesterday.
Present were Johor Criminal Investigation Department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Kamaluddin Kassim and Kualai district police chief Tok Beng Yeow.
Kamarudin said investigations showed that the suspects were believed to be involved in a spate of robberies in Johor, including Johor Baru, Pontian and Kulai. They were believed to be active for the past six months.
“This year, in Johor, we recorded 50 robbery cases involving foreigners. With the death of the two suspects, we believe we have solved 15 robberies, including the recent incident in Pontian yesterday (Thursday).
“We will conduct an investigation into the suspects’ activity and identify their accomplices and cases involving them.”
He said checks showed that the car they used was reported stolen in Taman Pelangi. Police found a revolver, machete, ski masks and gloves in the car.
No police officers were injured in the incident, although a police car was damaged by bullets during the shootout.
The case is being investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder. The suspects’ bodies have been brought to Sultanah Aminah Hospital for post-mortem.