Gun-for-hire ring busted
GEORGE TOWN (Sept 30, 2013): Police stumbled on a gun-for-hire syndicate during a raid on a house in Kuala Kurau, Perak, on Friday which saw the arrest of a 60-year-old man and the seizure of 675 bullets.
Police also detained two others, a car dealer and an unemployed man, believed to be clients, in the 1.30am operation.
Penang police chief Datuk Abd Rahim Hanafi said police have solved two attempted murders in Nibong Tebal and a shooting case in Selangor with the arrests.
He said investigations showed that the main suspect provided guns and ammunition to those willing to pay for it.
"The two clients had past criminal records," he told reporters.
Police are still trying to establish how long the businessman had been operating and where the weapons were from.
On Aug 23, six men, aged between 30 and 50, cheated death after they were shot at by a gunman outside a coffeeshop in Taman Kasawari, Simpang Ampat.
Just over a week later on Sept 4, a restaurant owner survived after sustaining chest injuries when he was shot four times along Jalan Kendi in Nibong Tebal.
Abd Rahim said police have solved 12 shooting cases out of 21 such attacks in Penang so far this year.
He expressed confidence that police will be able to close the file on the remaining nine cases soon.
"We are confident of bringing the remaining cases to closure. Please have confidence in us as it is only a matter of time," he said at a press conference with his deputy Datuk A. Thaiveegan and Penang deputy CID chief ACP Nasir Salleh.
On Ops Cantas in Penang, Abd Rahim said 491 people have been detained so far, including 80 secret society members.
He added that five of those detained were in the process of being charged under the Prevention Crime Act 1959.
He said police have seized six pistols, 16 rattan canes, 14 parangs and other weapons during the operation which started on Aug 17 to weed out criminal elements.
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