A TWENTY-seven-year-old lorry attendant who allegedly targeted multiple twenty-four-hour convenience stores across the Melaka Tengah district to settle mounting debts with illegal loan sharks has been arrested by local authorities.
The suspect was apprehended by police officers in Solok Bukit Bayan, Bukit Katil, at approximately three-thirty in the afternoon on Thursday, bringing an end to a string of targeted armed robberies.
Melaka Tengah acting district police chief Superintendent Halim Abas confirmed that the arrest successfully resolves at least six separate robbery cases reported at around-the-clock convenience stores in the district, which resulted in total estimated losses of one thousand five hundred ringgit.
The suspect allegedly posed as a regular customer before threatening retail staff with a knife and demanding cash from the registers, after which he would escape using a motorcycle parked nearby the premises, Halim said in an official statement.
A subsequent urine analysis conducted by the police revealed that the suspect tested negative for any illicit substance abuse, and further background checks showed that he possesses no prior criminal record.
According to the police, the suspect confessed during interrogation that his actions were entirely driven by severe financial distress, noting that he was heavily indebted to illegal loan sharks, known locally as along, alongside several other individuals.
The case is currently being investigated under Section 392 and Section 397 of the Penal Code for committing robbery and armed robbery with a weapon.
If found guilty of the charges, the suspect faces a maximum prison sentence of up to fourteen years, and he could also be subjected to a monetary fine or caning. - June 13, 2026
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