Six members of robbery gang killed in shootout

KULIM: Six members of a notorious gang, said to be responsible for a series of robberies in the northern region, were killed in a shootout with police, in Karangan here.

The robbers, in their 20s to 40s, had opened fire at a Bukit Aman serious crimes team, which had been tailing them from Sitiawan, Perak, around 11pm yesterday.

The team had asked them to stop their vehicles after cornering them but they whipped out their pistols instead and opened fire, leaving the cops with no choice but to retaliate.

A check later showed that the vehicles used by the robbers had fake registration numbers.

Kedah police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said various valuables worth a substantial amount and drugs were recovered from the vehicles.

“We are now trying to determine the extent of their involvement in armed robbery cases in Kedah. The Bukit Aman police have been monitoring the gang’s movements for some time,” he added.

It is learnt that the men, who have been described as trigger-happy, were high on the police’s wanted list. They were believed to be on the way to their hideout to divide the loot when they were cornered.

Police were trying to determine if the robbers had any connection with the four men shot dead in a similar incident in neighbouring Bukit Mertajam on Dec 18.