Dev Kumar (second left) at the press conference with (from left) Sibu CID head DSP Yeoh Chun Shyan, deputy police chief Supt Martin Koo and senior investigation officer ASP Sylvarius Gopog.
SIBU: Police solved six murder cases and one murder attempt after the men in blue gunned down two hired assassins early yesterday following a hot pursuit.
In a press conference at the Police HQ here yesterday, state CID chief SAC Dev Kumar said they were now identifying the employer of the assassins.
He said the two men either used a vehicle or motorcycle when committing the crimes.
One of the dead criminals was identified as Joshua Beti Chong, 44, from Sri Aman. He had been arrested four times for involvement in murder and weapon cases and was jailed in 2012.
The other was Awie Ningan, 36, from Seratok, who had no previous crime record.
Dev Kumar said all the murder victims were from Sibu.
The Nissan Navara vehicle is now at the police station.
Upon receiving a tip-off on Saturday, state Police HQ sent two teams to Sarikei to trace a white Nissan Navara vehicle which was seen at Long Bridge Road during a murder in January this year.
The teams in two vehicles stumbled on the 4WD with two men inside when patrolling along the JKD Road on the way to Sibu at 1.30am yesterday.
Sensing the presence of the police, the 4WD sped off to Sibu-Bintulu Road, leading to the hot pursuit.
When the police tried to overtake the 4WD, the 4WD hit the police car but in their haste to escape, the 4WD skidded.
When the police team went closer to the vehicle, a shot was fired from the vehicle towards the policemen which hit the rear windscreen of the police car.
This forced the policemen to take cover and return fire.
When the shooting ended, the policemen found two men slumped dead on the driver’s and front passenger seats.
The gunshot mark on the right side of the vehicle is believed to be caused by a shot fired by the body guard of a slain man at a restaurant at Long Bridge Road on Jan 9.
A shotgun was found near the driver’s seat.
A check on the back of the 4WD revealed a gunshot mark, believed to have been caused by a shot by the body guard of the slain man on Jan 9 this year at Long Bridge Road.
According to the police, the vehicle bore a false plate number.
The police are looking for the owner of the 4WD.
The state CID chief said the two dead criminals were involved in six murder cases and one murder attempt case since 2012.
He added that their modus operandi was to look for their targets at restaurants and coffee shops.
The first case: A man was shot dead from a Proton Saga car at 11.15am on Jan 11, 2012 at Brooke Drive.
Second murder: On July 12, 2012, a man died while another man survived in a shooting in front of a coffee shop at Airport Road in Kuching. The shooter sped off on a motorcycle after firing a shot.
Third murder: A woman was shot dead at noon on Nov 3, 2012 at a cafe in Pahlawan Road in Sibu by a shooter in a Proton Saga car.
Fourth murder: A Myvi car pulled up in front of a coffee shop at Penampang, Sabah and a shot was fired from the car, killing a man at 10pm on Aug 3, 2013.
Fifth murder: A man was shot dead at a restaurant in Bintulu at 9.40pm on July 3, 2015. The shot was fired from a Perodua Myvi.
Sixth murder: A man was shot dead while his girlfriend survived at a restaurant at Long Bridge Road, Sibu at 11.25pm on Jan 9 this year. The shooter came in a Nissan Navara vehicle.
The murder attempt occurred at noon on Aug 18, 2014 which injured a man in front of a cafe in Pahlawan Road, Sibu.
The shooter came in a Proton Wira car.