KOTA BARU: Kelantan police arrested two brothers and seized homemade firearms believed to be used for illegal moneylending debt collection during a raid at a house near Kampung Seneng, Jelawat in Bachok, on Tuesday (Jan 13).
State police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said the raid was carried out by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (D9) at 5pm based on intelligence information.
"The two men aged 34 and 37, who are siblings, were arrested during the operation.
"A search found a homemade shotgun barrel, two homemade pistols, two imitation pistols, two magazines, a pistol holster and 27 calibre powder ramsets," he told a press conference at the state police headquarters here on Wednesday.
Police also seized a motorcycle and three mobile phones, which were believed to have been used in the debt collection activities.
Mohd Yusoff said initial investigations found that the suspects worked as debt collectors for several illegal moneylending syndicates in Kelantan.
He said the suspects, who work as metalworkers, used firearms and imitation pistols to threaten debtors, adding that the activities were mainly focused in the Bachok district and that the suspects were paid by illegal moneylenders who hired them.
The suspects have been remanded for four days from Wednesday to assist investigations under the Arms Act 1960 and the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, he said.
"Urine tests showed both suspects were positive for methamphetamine and checks found they had previous records involving criminal and drug-related cases," he added.
In a separate development, Mohd Yusoff said police are tracking a woman believed to be the mastermind behind a RM1.82mil cannabis syndicate.
He said the woman is believed to be in Thailand and police have sought cooperation from their counterparts there.
It was reported that police were tracking a woman known as 'Luna', believed to be in her 30s, who is suspected to be the leader of a drug trafficking syndicate following the arrest of three individuals and the seizure of cannabis flowers worth RM1.82mil in Kuala Krai last week. - Bernama
