GEORGE TOWN – Police here were kept busy in the past weeks after they stumbled upon a suspected hitman in possession of two revolvers, drug pushers, and to top it off, a car chase to apprehend a syndicate hijacking luxurious cars.
Police believe that the easing of lockdowns has unleashed criminals intent on either hiding their previous crimes, or heading off to execute new ones.
The cascade of arrests began on November 3 when police – acting on a tip – nabbed a 35-year-old suspected assassin near Greenlane and seized a Beretta pistol with 11 bullets, a sling bag, walkie-talkie, three cell phones, and a Honda Wave motorcycle.
The weapon was traced to a 2019 homicide case that occurred at the Sg Pinang area.
The catch then led the boys in blue to nab another suspect – a 30-year-old woman – at a condominium in Jalan Fettes, some 3km away.
The male suspect – whom police are investigating under Section 302 of the Penal Code for first degree murder where the mandatory penalty is death – has 14 prior records.
He was earlier arrested for offences under crime and drug abuse, while the woman also has a previous drug conviction.
Penang Criminal Investigation Department head Rahimi Mohd Ra’ais told a packed press conference that police will charge the duo for illegal possession of a firearm, and also probe them on the homicide case.
On Friday, a police unit from the D9 division raided a hotel room in Teluk Bahang where they found 18 plastic bags filled with syabu (methamphetamines) weighing 18,184g, and arrested three men aged between 34 and 41.
The drug is worth RM690,635.50 on the black market, which would impact some 95,922 addicts.
The unit also found five cell phones and a United States-made SIG Sauer pistol with three rounds.
Cops opined that the drugs were meant to be smuggled to another country via sea route.
The three suspects face heavy charges under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, besides illegal possession of a firearm and a cache of other charges.
Rahimi believes they made major busts, but serious crime cases have now begun to pile up with the interstate travel lifted – as proven by their encounter with a luxury car theft syndicate.
Last month in Bukit Tengah, Bukit Mertajam, a security guard reported that two Mercedes-Benz vehicles were driven away by four suspects after they relieved him of the keys at a car service centre there.
Police were hot on the trail after receiving a tip on the syndicate members’ whereabouts, and moved in last week.
They arrested four suspects aged between 22 and 26 in Kulim, Sg Petani, and Teluk Intan, and recovered the two vehicles after a high-speed chase along the North-South Highway near Teluk Intan.
One of the suspects attempted to ram an unmarked police vehicle at Teluk Intan with a Mercedes-Benz, but ended up driving into a ditch while the police vehicle only suffered a dent.
The suspects have previous convictions for drug abuse, and one tested positive.
Seeing the spike in criminal activities, police have now stepped up crime prevention rounds in tandem with the easing of Covid-19 lockdowns, said Rahimi. – The Vibes, November 14, 2021
