Two robbers believed shot dead by cops

KOTA KINABALU: Two Sulu gunmen, suspected to be robbers, were believed to have been killed in a shootout near here, which was captured on social media.

Pictures and videos of the incident along a street between two rows of shophouses in the middle of the Penampang Baru township made the rounds on social media, especially on WhatsApp.

Various accounts of the incident, which caused passers-by to run helter-skelter and shops to quickly close their shutters, have emerged.

It is believed that during the 4pm incident, the men, who were sitting at the front of a four-wheel drive, were killed while a woman in the rear seat was arrested, unhurt, by balaclava-clad policemen.

One of the shopkeepers claimed to have seen a four-wheel drive with policemen cutting in front of the suspects’ vehicle before gunshots, lasting for a minute, rang out.

Some witnesses swore they saw two bodies inside the suspect’s vehicle and the police escorting the woman from the car.

Others claimed they saw three people escaping from their vehicle while plainclothes policemen, walking down the street, diverted traffic out of the area.

Moments later, police cars and personnel from the Penampang police station arrived at the scene.

At least five to 12 gunshots were said to have been fired but this remained unverified as people were immediately ordered to leave the area while those living on the upper floors were asked to secure their homes and stay indoors.

Police have so far remained tight-lipped over the case that has shocked businesses and people in the vicinity.

As at press time, the area was still being secured by the police.

Both Sabah Police Com­missioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman and Penam­pang OCPD Deputy Supt Ratan Kumar Singh promised to release details of the incident today.

Asked if it was true that the incident had been an “emergency drill” as alleged by some, Jalaluddin said: “It was an exercise as well as an operation to hunt down criminals.”

Reporters and photographers covering the incident from outside the yellow police line were shooed away, with some having their cameras seized and their pictures deleted.

Photographers who hoped to take pictures of the incident from the surrounding buildings also had their cameras and handphones taken away, and their identification cards checked.

-thestar