KOTA KINABALU: Two people were caught with homemade shotguns (bakakuk) during an integrated operation led by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) in the east coast Tawau district.
The operation was conducted at the Kalabakan road checkpoint from Thursday to Saturday (Nov 16 to 18) and involved the police, army and other agencies.
Esscom commander Deputy Comm Datuk Victor Sanjos said the suspects were detained separately during the operation.
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“We also found several rounds of ammunition, believed to belong to the suspects, hidden in a car and a building,” he said in a statement on Monday (Nov 20).
“The suspects and the seized items were brought to Tawau police headquarters for further investigation under Section 8(a) of the Firearms Act 1960 (for possession or carrying arms and ammunition without an arms licence or permit),” he added.
“We also arrested six people who tested positive for methamphetamine.
“A further eight people, comprising Filipinos and Indonesians, were roped in for breaching immigration laws,” said DCP Sanjos.
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He said the Tawau traffic police and Road Transport Department issued 21 summonses to motorists for various offences.
“We checked 224 vehicles and screened 426 people in the operation.
“The exercise was aimed at curbing smuggling of subsidised goods as well as contraband items and halting entry of undocumented migrants besides other offences at the main route that connects the Sabah east and west coasts,” he said.
DCP Sanjos said Esscom will intensify such operations in other districts in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone).
He urged the public to report any security incident by contacting the Esscom operations centre at 089-863 181 or via WhatsApp at 011-63311072.
