KUANTAN - Three foreigners, suspected of being members of 'Centro Gang' which is believed responsible for several cases of breaking into jewellery shops, involving losses of more than RM4 million, were killed during a shoot-out with the police at KM 17 Jalan Pekan - Kuantan Bypass yesterday.
The shoot-out occurred at about 11.30am and ended with two Vietnamese men and a Bangladeshi, aged 36, 44 and 38 respectively, found dead in a Proton Waja car.
Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the car was earlier spotted in a suspicious manner in the area of the Pahang State Development Board in Pekan by a police team from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Selangor and Pahang police.
He said the police ordered the car to stop, but the driver sped off towards Jalan Pekan-Kuantan bypass.
"A high-speed chase ensued before the suspects rammed their Waja into the rear of the police patrol car and their car came to a halt. When policemen stepped out to inspect the vehicle, the suspect fired several shots at the police.
"In self-defence, the police returned fire, killing the three men in the car and a search in the car also found a Glock 17 pistol along with seven bullets and three bullet casings," he told a press conference at Pahang police contingent headquarters here today.
He said the police also found several items including drills and grinders, machetes and iron hammers in the car, which belonged to the Bangladeshi suspect.
The two Vietnamese suspects had passports and entered the country as visitors, while the police were still checking the background of the Bangladeshi suspect, he added.
He said the modus operandi of the suspects was to break into jewellery shops and then drill the safe using a grinder before fleeing with the loot.
Yahaya said the case was being investigated under section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder.
Following the death of the three suspects, the police believed they had resolved six cases of gold-shop robberies reported since June last year, involving a case each in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang and three cases in Perak. - BERNAMA