Suspected armed robber, accomplice arrested

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Items confiscated by police from the budget hotel.

Items confiscated by police from the budget hotel.

KUCHING: A 28-year-old man has admitted to having committed armed robbery in front of a building along Jalan Kwong Lee Bank here on Saturday.

Members of the Special Investigation Division (D9), led by Insp Kalang Buda, swung into action and arrested the man, following a police report lodged by a 23-year-old woman, who was the victim of the crime that occurred around 7am.

“On July 23, a 23-year-old woman was waiting at a building along Jalan Kwong Lee Bank when two men on a motorcycle stopped in front of her.

“The pillion rider, armed with a machete, rushed towards her and attempted to snatch her handbag. When the woman put up some resistance, the man used the machete to cut the bagstrap.

“The man then fled with his accomplice on the motorcycle. The victim claimed to have lost her mobile phone, some cash and personal documents,” said state CID chief SAC Dev Kumar yesterday.

According to him, the case is classified as armed robbery under Section 395/397 of the Penal Code.

“Acting immediately after receiving the report lodged by the victim, Kalang’s team later spotted a man riding a motorcycle – believed to be the same as the one used in the robbery – at Batu Kawah New Township around 8pm on the same day.”

It is learned that the motorcycle had fake registration number and upon questioning, the man admitted to having committed the offence.

“Later during a follow-up raid at a budget hotel nearby, the D9 team found the helmet and clothes, said to have been used by the suspect during the robbery.

“These items were seized, along with a small amount of methamphetamines.”

The admission by the man led to the arrest of his accomplice, aged 33, at a house in Kampung Tabuan Melayu at 2.40pm yesterday, added Dev Kumar.

“The D9 team also recovered the machete believed to be used during the robbery, as well as the handbag with all its contents belonging to the victim,” he said.

Dev Kumar said the state commissioner of police Datuk Mazlan Mansor had put high priority on street crimes that could cause trauma to the victims.

“He has directed the CID headquarters to focus on these crimes and ensure that the streets are safe, and citizens can carry on with their daily activities without fear of falling prey to criminals,” he added.