Suspects killed in shoot-out with police wanted for armed-robbery cases in Kedah

Kedah police chief Datuk Wan Hassan Wan Ahmad the two men, in their 60s and 40s, were in a Proton Iswara car which sped away when ordered by the police to stop, before they fired several shots at the police.

He said it happened at about 11 pm, when a police team from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Kedah police contingent, was patrolling the areas in Sungai Petani, Jeniang, Sik (Kuala Muda district) when they spotted the car, which was in a suspicious manner.

"When ordered to stop, the (Proton Iswara) car did not stop, but sped away, forcing the police to chase the car before intercepting it.

"During the chase the suspects fired several shots at the police, forcing the police to shoot back in self-defence, leading to a shoot-out during which a policeman was hit," he told a media conference here today.

However, he said, the policeman was not injured as he was wearing a bullet-proof vest.

He said police searched the car and recovered several items used for house-breaking, such a machete, screwdriver and a sword, and two .38 revolvers.

According to Wan Hassan, the suspect in his 60s had 64 previous records, including for robbery and drug-related offences, while the other suspect had no previous record.

They were believed to be responsible for 16 to 20 robbery cases in the state, he said, adding that the police would launch a manhunt for their accomplices.