Two suspected Gang 36 members were shot dead in a shootout at a junction between the Sungai Udang-Paya Rumput-Ayer Keroh (SPA) Highway and the Alor Gajah-Malacca-Jasin (AMJ) Highway near the Tesco Hypermarket in Cheng, Malacca today.

The duo, who were travelling in a Perodua Myvi, fired shots at the police who flagged them down and were killed when the police returned fire in the 9.20am incident, said inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar.

He said one of them was a 25-year-old man known as Teratai Boy while another was a 35-year-old man.

“Thirty-five police officers and men from Bukit Aman and Malacca were involved in the shootout which lasted between five and 10 minutes. The suspects were believed to have fired five shots at the police, including a few shots which hit a police car,” he told a news conference in Malacca today.

There were no casualties among the policemen who were involved in a special crime prevention operation dubbed Ops Cantas to track down crime suspects.

Khalid said the police recovered two automatic pistols, cannabis and police badges on the bodies and the car.

He said one of the men had 10 criminal record cases, including an attempted murder, while another had a drug-related record.

“We believe they were involved in at least seven murder cases and an attempted murder in Malacca, Johor, Negri Sembilan, Kedah and Penang in the last two years, and two robberies in Duyong, Malacca and Senawang, Negri Sembilan,” he said.

He said police would conduct further investigation to determine whether the duo were hired killers whop posed as police officers.

In a follow-up operation, he said police raided a house in Ayer Keroh and arrested a 34-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman to assist in the investigations into Gang 36 and several crime cases.

He said police also seized a BMW car and burglary tools.

Thanking the public for tipping off the police, Khalid said there would be no let down against gang members in Ops Cantas and in fact, the operation would be extended to Sabah and Sarawak on a big scale.

- Bernama