HOME MINISTRY PROBING ORGANISED CRIME LINK IN BORDER SHOOTING - SAIFUDDIN NASUTION

MACHANG, Feb 28 (Bernama) -- The Home Ministry (KDN) is conducting a detailed investigation from various angles, including the possibility of organised crime elements, following the arrest of nine individuals linked to a shooting incident targeting a vehicle carrying the commander of the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) in Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah, last Wednesday.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said if the case involves organised crime, it must meet the criteria under Section 130V of the Penal Code, namely the involvement of two or more individuals who benefit, whether through influence or financial gain.

“We are still trying to establish whether they were operating as a group,” he said at a press conference after attending the Menyemai Kasih Rakyat (MEKAR) programme at Kampung Simpul Belubang here today.

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He clarified, however, that the case has not been classified as organised crime for now as the process of gathering evidence is still ongoing.

“Yesterday we detained two more individuals, bringing the total number of suspects arrested so far to nine. The group comprises eight local men and one foreign woman.

“Police will also apply for a remand order against the two newly arrested suspects to assist in further investigations, as various investigative hypotheses are being examined.”

Saifuddin Nasution said multiple hypotheses are being considered regarding the group’s activities.

“Among the main focuses of the investigation are the possibility of their involvement in smuggling goods, human and migrant smuggling, human trafficking, as well as retaliation and threats against enforcement officers,” he said.

Touching on the motive behind the incident, he did not rule out the possibility that it was an act of revenge by a syndicate following the government’s recent firm action to tighten border controls.

Previously, police arrested nine individuals, including a Thai woman aged between 22 and 52, suspected of involvement in the case in several raids in Bukit Kayu Hitam and in Padang Besar, Perlis, on the same day as the incident.

The incident saw a Proton X70 sport utility vehicle (SUV) driven by Mohd Nasaruddin shot at 5.40 am at the slip road near the Muhajirin Mosque about one kilometre from the Malaysia–Thailand border at Bukit Kayu Hitam.

The suspect, who was riding a motorcycle, fired two shots believed to have been from a semi-automatic weapon at the victim’s vehicle.

-- BERNAMA