ALOR SETAR – Police believe a smuggler shot a General Operations Force (GOF) trooper near the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint here last night.
State police chief Datuk Hasanuddin Hassan said that the GOF personnel were patrolling a route frequented by smugglers and as such, it was a fair assumption that a smuggler fired at them.
Security has been stepped up after one GOF member was killed and another seriously injured during an early morning skirmish with two groups of smugglers near the Padang Besar border crossing in neighbouring Perlis on Tuesday.
"We are in the process of trying to track down the perpetrator and as of now, security measures have been tightened along the border perimeters," Hasanuddin told a press conference.
The Lance Corporal suffered a wound to his abdomen from a pellet believed to have been fired from an air gun.
Hasanuddin also confirmed that more reinforcements would be arriving now to further secure the land border with Thailand from breaches.
Malaysia enjoys a 683km long border perimeter with Thailand, which is porous with mountains and thick jungles.
The unit includes those from the anti-narcotics task force, criminal investigation detectives and K9 canine units.
Corporal Baharuddin Ramli was shot dead while his comrade Corporal Norihan Tari was seriously wounded when they were intercepted by two groups of smugglers around 3am on Tuesday.
In the fire fight, the GOF duo managed to wound four smugglers before three shots fatally killed Baharudin while Norihan suffered injuries to shoulder, abdomen and back.
Both policemen were praised for their heroic act and elevated to the rank of Sergeant.
For Baharuddin, it was a posthumous honour.
The two were from the Third Battalion (Senoi Praaq) of the Northern Brigade based in Bidor, Perak.
The GOF is the light infantry division of the police force, and they are usually deployed to marshal the border crossings, especially now when there is a renewed attention to prevent smuggling and human trafficking in view of the current Covid-19 pandemic. - The Vibes, November 26, 2020.
