THREE men, believed to be foreigners and members of the notorious Geng Tebuk, were killed in a shoot-out with police in the Alma Light Industrial Area, Bukit Mertajam, early today.

Penang police chief T. Narenasagaran said state Serious Crime Unit personnel were patrolling the area about 2am when they spotted a Toyota Camry being driven “in a suspicious manner”.

“Officers attempted to approach the car for inspection. The driver suddenly sped off, resulting in a chase. The Camry then skidded onto the road shoulder,” he told a press conference in George Town.

He said three men jumped out of the vehicle and fired shots at police, as well as attacked officers using a parang.

The cops fired back in self-defence, he said.

The trio, in their 20s and 30s, were killed. Police seized a .38 revolver with live ammunition and two bullet casings, two parang and a knuckleduster, among others.

Narenasagaran said the Camry, believed to have been used by the gang during house and factory break-ins and robberies, was also seized.

He said it is believed that the gang was behind more than 15 cases reported in the state last year, involving losses amounting to RM620,000.

“Initial investigations revealed that the three men were trying to break into a factory when police spotted them,” he said.

He said police have been patrolling industrial areas following several reports of break-ins, adding that checks showed that the culprits “had expertise” in breaking into factories.

Police are tracking down other Geng Tebuk members, added Narenasagaran.

He declined to reveal the nationalities of the three men, saying efforts to obtain the trio’s citizenship documents are ongoing. – Bernama, August 27, 2019.