Hired killers gunned down in shootout

GERIK: Three killers high on the wanted list were shot dead in a gunbattle with the police when they tried to evade a roadblock here.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the trio fired at the police from the Pahang contingent who were trying to stop their car at about 1.49am on Tuesday in Jalan Intan, here.

“Police returned fire to defend themselves and the suspects were killed in the exchange,” he told a press conference at the district police headquarters here yesterday.

“None of our personnel were injured.”

Two pistols, bullets, mobile phones and pliers were found in their vehicle.

Sources identified the three as Mohd Baaqir Badrolhsam, 25, Zali­zan Amin Elias, 26, and Mohd Sahrufuzin Ali, 35.

The hunt for the suspects was carried out under Ops Cantas Khas by Bukit Aman police and the Perak and Pahang contingents.

The car the suspects were in bore Pahang registration plates but all three dead men were from Kelantan.

The three were involved in the murder of a steamed rice seller in Terengganu and had tried to kill a single mother in Pahang.

“They had also committed car thefts and robberies and had been especially active since six months ago,” Khalid said.

The trio, who were believed to be organising “criminal activities” in Perak, were known to be ruthless and would “do anything to get what they wanted, including murder”.

Investigations revealed that two of the suspects were involved in six criminal cases and the third in two.

Khalid said police were probing to find out whether the three had been hired as killers.

Asked if the three belonged to a gang, he replied: “If so, their deaths have crippled the group.”

The three bodies have been sent to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh for a post-mortem.

Taman Toh Purba Lahamat resident Roshana Abdul Rahman, whose house is near where the shootout took place, said she was awakened by the sound of gun shots.

The 39-year-old, whose husband works in Penang, said she and her two teenage daughters peeped from their living room window to see what was happening.

A neighbour told them there had been an accident.

They followed him to the scene, about 100m away from their house and learned that a shooting incident had just occurred.

Roshana’s 15-year-old daughter Nurliyana Mohd Ariffin said they were afraid to walk too near the car, which was surrounded by many policemen.

“It was terrifying to know that such an incident actually took place in this quiet housing area,” she said.