A SOCIAL media post claiming that police opened fire while arresting four robbery suspects in Nilai early on Saturday morning (May 24) has been making the rounds online, and it spread fast enough to prompt an official response.
Videos and unverified claims have a way of taking on a life of their own before anyone stops to check the facts.
Did police actually fire shots during the arrest?
Verdict:
FALSE
Police have firmly denied that any shots were fired during the operation.
Nilai officer in charge of police district Supt Johari Yahya said police only apprehended the suspects during the operation at Dataran Nilai in the early hours of May 24.
"A clip has gone viral where a social media account holder claimed that police had fired shots when arresting the four," Johari said.
"We would like to state that no shots were fired during the arrests."
The four suspects, aged between 22 and 28 and including one woman, were believed to have committed a robbery in Tangkak, Johor on Saturday, May 23.
A victim sustained injuries during the robbery.
Police seized two vehicles, including one used during the robbery, as well as several mobile phones related to the case.
The case was being investigated under Section 394 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt while committing or attempting to commit a robbery.
Supt Johari also advised the public not to share videos containing unverified information or to speculate on the case.
