SELANGOR police chief Hussein Omar Khan said the three individuals shot dead by the police early today in Selayang Jaya – suspected to be members of the Rantau Fiesta gang – are believed to be involved in more than 50 robberies and burglaries in six states.

Hussein said preliminary investigations found that the three Rohingya criminals, all in their 30s, had been involved in crime since 2011, and one of them – believed to be the leader – had been imprisoned and returned to his old habits after his release in 2017.

“In the incident which occurred after midnight, the police spotted a suspicious Ford Fiesta car in Selayang Jaya and stopped it.

“However, when the policemen wanted to carry out an inspection, two of the suspects fired three shots, forcing the police to return fire. The police fired seven shots which hit the three suspects, all of whom died at the scene,” he told a special press conference at the Gombak headquarters today.

He said police then searched the car and found two revolvers and a machete.

According to Hussein, apart from Selangor, the suspects were also believed to be involved in robberies and housebreaking in Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur, Pahang and Penang.

In Selangor alone, he said, the group was believed to be responsible for 27 cases of robberies and burglaries, involving a loss of RM1.3 million.

The most recent was a housebreaking case in Batang Kali on December 8 with losses amounting to RM445,000, including three Rolex watches and two Hublot watches, he added.

Hussein said the gang’s modus operandi was to steal small and easily disposable luxury goods such as jewellery and luxury watches.

The police are tracking down the remaining gang members as well as the buyers of the goods stolen by the suspects, he said, adding that the investigation was being carried out under section 307 of the Penal Code. – Bernama, December 23, 2023