Two men believed to be foreign nationals were killed in a shootout with police during an operation to rescue two kidnap victims in Taman Amira, Telaga Bata, Alor Setar, on Friday night.
The incident occurred at about 8.40pm when a team from the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department’s Special Investigation Division (D9) moved in on a house in the residential area as part of an operation to free the victims.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk M. Kumar said the suspects opened fire several times at the police team, prompting officers to return fire in self-defence until the threat was neutralised.
He said both suspects, who were believed to be foreigners, were pronounced dead by medical personnel at about 9.30pm. No identification documents were found on either of them.
The operation also resulted in the safe rescue of two alleged kidnapping victims, comprising a foreign man in his 70s and a foreign woman in her 30s.
“Both victims were found with their eyes covered and hands handcuffed when they were rescued,” Kumar said in a statement issued early Saturday.
Police also recovered two firearms at the scene, namely a Beretta semi-automatic pistol containing five rounds of ammunition and a revolver loaded with four rounds. A machete was also found near the suspects.
The case is being investigated under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961, which relates to kidnapping for ransom.
Following the operation, police conducted several separate raids in Kedah, Penang and Kuala Lumpur, resulting in the arrest of six individuals.
Those detained comprised one local man, four foreign men and one foreign woman, aged between their 20s and 40s.
Kumar said police would apply for remand against all six suspects today under Section 12 of the Kidnapping Act 1961 as investigations continue.
He also urged the public not to speculate or make comments that could interfere with the investigation or distort facts and cause concern among the community.
