Man shoots fellow villagers in hunting incident

PEKAN: Two men were seriously injured when they were mistakenly shot at by their fellow villager while hunting wild boar in Kampung Permatang Pauh here last Tuesday.

The victims, aged 45 and 46, sustained injuries on the neck and shoulders, respectively, caused by pellets fired from a Benelli semi-automatic firearm belonging to the father of the 43-year-old suspect.

Pekan district police chief Supt Amran Sidek said the incident occurred about 5 pm and initial investigation revealed that the suspect went hunting in the jungle with four friends without his father's knowledge.

The other two friends, who were elsewhere, rushed to the scene after hearing the shot and found the two victims lying down with blood on them, he told a press conference here today.

He said the victims were initially taken to Pekan Hospital but were then sent to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan for further treatment.

Both the men were reported in a stable condition after undergoing surgeries to remove the shotgun pellets, he said.

Amran said police arrested the suspect the same day and he would be in remand until Jan 2 to facilitate the investigation.

The other two friends, aged 68 and 53, had been released on police bail, he said, adding that police had also seized a shotgun and four bullets. — Bernama