SIBU: A suspect has been arrested and another is still being hunted in connection with possession of a firearm without a valid permit and the theft of a mobile phone in Bukit Lan.
Sibu District police chief ACP Stanley Jonathan Ringgit said a rifle believed to be handmade and four bullets were seized from the 20-year-old Indonesian suspect.
“A witness (who is also the complainant) said while he was sleeping in his farmhouse in Bukit Lan, he heard his neighbours screaming at 8.30pm last Friday. He rushed to his neighbour’s house and saw a man fleeing with an object which looked like a rifle,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Stanley added that the complainant and three friends pursued the suspect and successfully apprehended him.
However, while apprehending the suspect, the complainant’s phone was snatched by another man (believed to be the suspect’s friend) who had appeared suddenly.
“The phone snatcher quickly ran away, whereas the first suspect is currently under 14-day detention until April 23 to assist in our investigation,” said Stanley, who also disclosed that as the detainee had failed to produce a valid travel document he would face four charges.
The charges come under Section 380 of the Penal Code for theft, Section 8 (a) of the Arms Act for possessing a firearm without a permit, Section 6 (1) (c) of the Immigration Act 1959/1963 for lack of valid travel documents and Regulation 3 (1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures in Affected Areas) 2020 for violating the movement control order (MCO).
The suspect has also been taken to Sibu Hospital for to be tested for Covid-19.
