Published: Wednesday February 18, 2009 MYT 2:38:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday February 18, 2009 MYT 7:58:52 PM
Six armed robbers shot dead in Kulim (Update)
SUNGAI PETANI: Police shot dead six armed robbers and nabbed four women in a shootout at a house in Kampung Kemunting, Karangan, in Kulim.
They were involved in a series of armed robberies on goldsmith shops in Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor, said Kedah police chief Datuk Deputy Comm Syed Ismail Syed Azizan.
He said a Bukit Aman police team had identified themselves to the group outside a house in Kampung Kemunting but were shot at instead at about 11pm.
“We had no choice but to retaliate or else the policemen could have been shot dead. The exchange of gunfire ultimately led to the death of the six men aged between 20 and 50.
“A semi-automatic Smith & Wesson 9mm with seven rounds of ammunition and a .38 Revolver with five were recovered from the bodies.
“Neighbours were unaware of their clandestine activities as the house was covered up with zinc fencing. Equipment used to melt their gold loot were also recovered,” he told a press conference on Wednesday.
DCP Syed Ismail said two of the deceased had criminal records, adding that three vehicles, including a BMW said to have been used in the robberies, were also found at the scene.
The deceased have been identified as contract workers R.Elangovan, 38, and L. S. Santana, 34, contractor R. Pannir, 28, crane driver S. Vadivelan, 29, carpenter S. Gurusamy, 50, and lorry attendant R. Dilip Kumar, 20.
Four women, aged between 21 and 28, said to be the deceased’s girlfriends were also picked up and they have since been remanded by a magistrate’s court to assist in investigations.
Meanwhile, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy said he would table an emergency motion in Parliament to discuss the fatal shooting of six suspects.
Dr Ramasamy, who is Batu Kawan MP, said there had been too many cases where police had shot dead suspects without trial.
“What is the point of having courts when the police have a tendency to execute suspects on the spot? Why can’t the police just injure and arrest them, and let the judicial process takes its course? he told newsmen outside the Sultan Abdul Halim hospital mortuary on Wednesday.
Claiming that most of the incidents involved a specific community, Dr Ramasamy said such trend was worrying.
“There had been cases where suspects were shot at point blank or close range,” he said.
Ramasamy said the hospital authorities did not allow even the elected representatives to enter the mortuary.
Makkal Sakthi national coordinator R. S. Thanenthiran called on the police to hold an inquest to ascertain what really transpired.
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