An Indonesian man armed with a revolver was shot dead by police in a raid on a house in Sibu early this morning.

According to Sibu OCPD Nicholas Sebastian, a group of eight CID personnel led by ASP Dennis Leong went to the single-storey terrace house at 8am.

They kicked open the doors of two rooms in the house while identifying themselves.

In the second room, a man in his 20's appeared at the door and pointed a revolver at the policemen.

Three rounds

"Fearing for their safety, they opened fire and killed the man," he said.

Police later found the revolver, which had no serial number or manufacturer's marking, to be loaded with three rounds of ammunition.

"We suspect it to have been smuggled in from a neighbouring country but we are still investigating," he added.

He said there were no identification papers on the man, which led police to believe that he was an illegal immigrant.