Eight arrested over assault and robbery of labourer
KOTA KINABALU: Eight people suspected of beating and robbing a man in a video clip that went viral have been nabbed.
The suspects, in their 20s and 30s, including a foreigner were arrested at various locations within a week after the 7.40pm robbery in Padang Merdeka on Nov 18.
In the clip purportedly recorded and spread by one of the suspects, some were seen kicking, beating and stomping on the man before robbing him of his handphone.
The victim, a 21-year-old labourer, was walking to work when four men suddenly pounced on him.
City police chief Asst Comm M. Chandra said one of the suspects was also believed to have struck the man’s head with an iron rod.
“We managed to nab eight men at various locations here and in Penampang,” he said.
Initial investigations showed that the suspects were involved in at least five robberies in Penampang and Padang Merdeka.
Authorities also seized a car, a motorcycle, a 22cm knife, a 78cm iron rod believed to have been used in the attack and 10 handphones.
The suspects are expected to be charged with robbery and causing injury today.
In another case, two men were nabbed with 215.52g of syabu worth RM20,000 after police crashed in on a transaction by the side of a road in Inanam on Tuesday.
“Police found seven plastic bags containing a crystal-like substance during the raid,” said ACP Chandra.
The suspects, aged 23 and 45, who also tested positive for drugs, are being investigated under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the mandatory death penalty.