BINTULU: Police shot dead four men believed to be responsible for a spate of three armed robbery cases in the division hear early today.
Three teams from the Sarawak Criminal Investigation Division were conducting crime prevention rounds in the city when they spotted the suspects, in their 30s and 40s, acting suspiciously inside a car at Jalan Tun Hussein Onn here at about 1am.
The suspects sped off in their white-coloured Toyota Vios towards Miri after realising the presence of the police.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Seri Muhammad Sabtu Osman said a car chase ensued between the police and the suspects until an oil palm plantation at Ladang Maskat near here before the latter’s car veered off road and crashed onto a road shoulder.
“Several shots, believed to be from a shotgun, were heard coming from the car when police approached the vehicle. Our men took cover and returned fire at the vehicle.
“Two men were then seen rushing out of the car and ran into the oil palm plantation.
“As the police were about to apprehend the duo, the suspects turned around and rushed at the police team. One of them was swinging a parang while the other was armed with a sickle. The police team shot in self-defence at the two,” said Sabtu.
The other suspect was slumped in the driver's seat of the car while the fourth member of the gang was found in the passenger side with a sawn off shotgun beside his body.
The police team, Sabtu said, found house breaking apparatus, a parang and several watches believed to be stolen from earlier robberies upon inspection on the vehicle.
Checks also showed that the Toyota Vios driven by the suspects was reported stolen in Bintulu in July this year.
“No identification documents were found on the suspects and we are not able to determine their nationalities at this point in time,” he said