GEORGE TOWN: Police have arrested two local men for suspected involvement in the Dec 9 armed robbery of a convenience store in Bukit Mertajam.
Penang police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the suspects, aged 26 and 30, were arrested on Sunday (Jan 1) at separate locations in Bukit Mertajam.
"Acting on a report lodged on Dec 9 at Bukit Mertajam police station, a special team from state headquarters D9 unit was formed to track down the suspects.
"On Jan 1, the suspects were detained at Jalan Berjaya and Taman Desa Damai in Bukit Mertajam," he said during a press conference at state police headquarters on Tuesday (Jan 3)
Comm Mohd Shuhaily said police also confiscated a .38 revolver, two shell casings, three rounds of ammunition, two motorcycles, a car, two mobile phones and a machete, among other items.
He said checks found the suspects had prior robbery and drug offences on their records and targeted premises that were operational until late at night, robbing them of cash and mobile phones.
He said with the arrest, they had solved six armed robbery cases in the central Seberang Prai district.
The suspects have been remanded until Friday (Jan 6) and the case has been classified under Section 3(1) of the FireArms Act (Heavier Penalty) 1971, Section 8(a) of the Arms Act 1960, and Sections 395 and 397 of the Penal Code for gang robbery and armed robbery.
In a separate case, police detained two men for allegedly robbing a Taman Desa Murni, Sungai Dua convenience store of RM500 using machetes on Dec 25.
Comm Mohd Shuhaily said the suspects were arrested later the same day in an operation mounted by North Seberang Prai.
"The suspects, aged 24 and 25, are believed to have been involved in several robbery cases at convenience stores in the district," he said, adding that urine tests on both suspects came back positive for methamphetamine.
Police seized a motorcycle, three mobile phones and RM230 in a brown envelope, among other items.
The case is also being investigated under Sections 395 and 397 of the Penal Code.
Comm Mohd Shuhaily said police also detained a 30-year-old man for snatching a woman's purse containing RM350 at Jalan Haji Rafaie in Tanjung Bunga on Dec 28.
The incident left the victim with an injured left knee, he added.
"The suspect was nabbed during an operation at George Town," he said.
On the New Year's Eve operation on Saturday (Dec 31), he said police issued a total of 2,016 summonses for various offences.
He said police also seized 146 cars and detained seven people that night.
"We also conducted a crime prevention operation, screening 61 entertainment outlets and checking 5,340 cars," he said.
He added that 6,427 people were screened and 71 suspects were detained for various offences.
The operation involved 1,294 police officers and personnel, assisted by several government departments and agencies.
