PETALING JAYA: Five armed robbers were killed during a shootout with the police at Putra Heights here.
The suspects, believed to be part of a larger robbery gang, have been linked to 50 armed robbery cases in the Klang Valley since 2022.
The suspects are believed to have targeted safe boxes at factories, courier company premises, and houses. They are said to have been connected with a long list of cases related to drugs and other crimes.
Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the suspects were travelling in a Perodua Axia at 12.02am yesterday when they were spotted.
“Police ordered them to stop but they opened fire at the police, and the five suspects died following the confrontation,” he told reporters yesterday.
Two pistols, a revolver and a semi automatic pistol, several machetes, a hammer, a crowbar, and masks and gloves were found in the vehicle.
“We believe the suspects were planning to hit another building when they came across the police team.
“The suspects were all aged in their 30s,” he said, adding that police believe the suspects would monitor potential victims before robbing them.
Comm Hussein said there was an instance when one of the victims was hacked with a machete during a robbery.
He did not rule out the possibility that the suspects had insiders in a courier company.
“They knew when the courier company safe was full of cash before each robbery,” he said, adding that the suspects were also believed to be constantly recruiting new members.
The group members are all from Klang and they usually targeted victims in Klang, Bukit Jalil, Puchong and Cheras.