PADAWAN: Police have arrested five men who had allegedly committed armed gang robbery on an eatery at Mile 11, Jalan Matang last Saturday (June 3).
Padawan police chief Supt Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad in a statement, said the suspects were picked up at separate locations in Jalan Arang and Jalan Abel.
“On June 4, a team from the Padawan Criminal Investigation Division (CID) together with officers of Sarawak CID D9 branch raided a house around 5.30pm and arrested four suspects aged between 34 and 41.
“The next day (June 5), around 12.10am, a team from Padawan CID together with Kuching CID managed to arrest the fifth suspect aged 38 in an eatery along Jalan Abel.
“With these arrests, we believe that several robbery and snatch theft cases that occurred in convenience stores and eateries around Batu Kawa and Matang areas, are solved,” he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 395/397 of the Penal Code for armed gang robbery, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and whipping, upon conviction.
Abang Zainal advised all owners and operators of convenience stores and eateries to improve the level of environmental security.
They can do this by strategically installing CCTVs at various angles, enhancing the lighting in the surrounding areas of the premises, and implementing a security divider at the counter to ensure the safety of employees.
Last Saturday, the police had received a report from a 27-year-old man around 3am regarding an armed gang robbery at an eatery along Mile 11, Jalan Matang.
At around 12.50am, the complainant was outside of the eatery when seven unknown men armed with objects believed to be weapons approached him.
The frightening sight of a group of armed men made the complainant along with other employees and customers to run away to safety.
Once the suspects left the scene with two vehicles, the complainant made an inspection on the premises before lodging a police report at Batu Kawa police station.
It is understood that two more suspects are still at large.
Should anyone have any information regarding the case, they can contact the Padawan district police headquarters (IPD) operations room at 082-862233 or go to any of the nearest police stations.
