KUALA LUMPUR: A mastermind behind various crimes in the past 12 years was among three foreigners who were killed in a police shootout in Jalan Selayang Jaya 7, Gombak near here early today.
The other two people shot dead in the 12.30am incident were United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR) card holders.
Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the trio refused to stop when told to do so by police patroling the area.
Instead of stopping the Ford Fiesta they were travelling in, the trio fired towards the police officers, forcing them to return fire, killing all three inside.
Police also seized two revolvers used to fire at the them and a parang in the suspects' car.
Hussein said police have crippled a foreign group actively involved in house break-ins at six states, and solved at least 27 cases reported this year in Selangor following their arrests.
"Preliminary checks showed that two of the suspects are UNHCR card holders, meanwhile another one is the mastermind who has been involved in crimes since 2011.
"Checks showed that the mastermind was imprisoned previously for similar crimes in 2016 and 2017 and is allegedly back in business upon his release from prison," he told reporters in a press conference at Gombak police headquarters here today.
Codenamed 'Gang Rantau Fiesta', Hussein said the group has been involved in more than 50 break-ins and thefts in Melaka, Penang, Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan and Selangor, for just this year.
More to come