Police detained a 60-year-old man with a shotgun and his wife in the vicinity of Jalan Tun Ali near the Melaka Umno office today.

Malacca police chief Chuah Ghee Lye said the couple, held at 11.15am, was released at 4.30 pm after questioning.

He said the man, who had a licence for the shotgun, said he had brought the weapon along with him when depositing money at a bank as he did not want to leave it in the car.

"The police found no element of crime in the case," he said when contacted by Bernam a.

Chuah said the couple was detained as a precaution as there could have been a threat to public safety.

At about the same time, Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is on a day-long visit to Malacca, witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the construction of the 1Malaysia People's Housing Programme in Melaka and attended a meeting with the state BN at the Malacca Umno Office.

Chuah advised individuals who had a firearm not to carry it openly, and said they could deposit them at any police station if they feared it could be stolen.

- Bernama