Cops kill one, arrest four after shootout with robbery gang in Ampang
Published 5 minutes ago on 20 May 2018
By Kenneth Tee
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim shows the seized items during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur May 20 , 2018. ― Picture by Firdaus LatifKUALA LUMPUR, May 20 ― Police have crippled a gang running a currency exchange scam by shooting dead one suspect and arresting four others following a shootout in Ampang yesterday.
City police chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim said the “Gagak Hitam” gang had lured a 29-year-old victim by advertising their services that claimed to pay RM6.50 to each US dollar.
“The victim met with a local and brought along US$150,000 (RM595,000) to be exchanged in a briefcase at The Intermark Mall, Jalan Tun Razak around 11.45pm on Friday.
“Several minutes later, a Middle Eastern man and another local arrived in a black Toyota Vios before offering to bring the victim to another location where the exchange with a banker was to be made,” he said today.
He said the trio arrived at the second location where another vehicle with four African suspects were waiting before robbing the victim using a parang.
“The victim shouted for help and our officers on crime prevention rounds rushed to the scene after they heard his call for help.
“Knowing the police was on their tail, the two suspects in the initial vehicle quickly got into the waiting vehicle and fled the scene,” he said.
The suspects, aged between 28 and 50, then took police on a 12-km chase from Jalan Damai Niaga in Cheras until Jalan Mamanda 2, Ampang Point before abandoning their vehicle there to escape on foot around 2.50am.
“The suspects then broke ranks and ran in different directions before one of our officers confronted an armed suspect at a construction site nearby.
“The officer had to fire four shots in self-defence after the suspect wielding a parang charged at him,” he said.
During the chase, police also managed to detain two more suspects, an African national and the Middle Eastern suspect, while two other African nationals escaped with the briefcase containing the cash.
He added that two locals who brokered the deal between the victim and suspects were also picked up hours following the initial arrest.
Mazlan said the suspects used YouTube and social media to promote their “services”, offering black market rates for foreign currency exchange.
Unsuspecting victims would then be lured by the higher rates and engaged the middleman of the gang to set a deal at a quiet place elsewhere before robbing them.
“We believe the gang was involved in 14 (2016), 21 (2017) and five (2018) similar cases, with reported losses at least RM12mil.
“We urged the public not to change their currencies through such channels as they posed a high risk by giving these criminals an opportunity to strike,” he said
