Security forces step up hunt for masked gunmen in Sabah's east coast

KOTA KINABALU: Security forces under the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) are hunting two separate groups of masked gunmen believed to be lurking in the state’s east coast.

The gunmen comprised five men who robbed lobster farm workers in Pulau Bait, Semporna, early Thursday, and a seven-member gang wanted for armed robbery purportedly to be hiding in a plantation in Kinabatangan.

Esscom commander Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun said on Friday that authorities were uncertain if the group of five men was linked to the southern Philippines-based Sulu cross-border kidnapping gang. 

"There were also locals who are carrying out robberies in the area,’’ he pointed out, adding that Semporna police were investigating the case.