TWO VIETNAMESE ROBBERY SUSPECTS KILLED IN PENANG

NIBONG TEBAL, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- Two Vietnamese men, believed to be responsible for breaking into factories and offices in Kedah and Penang were shot dead by the police in Jalan Bukit Panchor here early today.

Penang Police Chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said in the incident at 3.20 am, a police team from the Criminal Investigation Department (JSJ) was on patrol in the factory area when they spotted a suspicious Proton Waja car.

"The police were approaching the car when they saw two men coming out of a factory there. The police ordered them to stop, but the two men, armed with machetes, attacked the police, forcing them to fire four shots in self-defence.

"The two men died at the scene and the police found two machetes and various tools suspected of being used in house, factory and office burglaries," he told a press conference at the Seberang Perai Selatan District Police Headquarters (SPS)  here today.

Hamzah said checks by the police on the two men found that they were Vietnamese nationals aged 38 and 39 who entered the country as tourists.

Hamzah said the two men were believed responsible for six cases of burglary reported in Penang and five cases in Kedah,  involving a total loss of RM317,700.

He said further investigations were being carried out, including tracing the network of the syndicate believed to be made up of Vietnamese nationals.

"Based on the investigation, the police found that the gang has been in and out of the country since 2017 to carry out criminal activities and their modus operandi is to break into factories and offices,” he said.

 He said checks also found that the two men had previous criminal records.

Their bodies were sent to the Seberang Jaya Hospital for post-mortem and the case is investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code.

-- BERNAMA