Police apprehend ex-convict responsible for multiple armed robberies

KUCHING: Police nabbed an ex-convict who was involved in several recent armed robberies here and in Kota Samarahan.

According to Sarawak CID chief SAC Datuk Dev Kumar, the 26-year-old suspect from Malacca was picked up at a mall here at 12.55pm on Jan 11.

"The unemployed man has two previous convictions for robbery and possession of a firearm. The man came into our radar after he broke into an apartment at Riveria Bay in Kota Samarahan at 3am armed with a pistol on Dec 18 last year.

"He threatened the 35-year-old occupant when she tried to run away and fired a shot into the ceiling.

"The suspect then demanded the victim to hand over her valuables but she only gave him RM100. Unsatisfied with the amount, the suspect tied the victim's hands with a belt," Dev Kumar told theSun.

He said that the suspect then pushed her onto the bed and threatened to harm her.

"The victim resisted and screamed for help. The suspect then fled through the bedroom window," Dev Kumar said.

The same suspect also entered a kindergarten in Stutong here on Jan 4, confronted a 23-year-old caretaker and snatched two mobile phones before fleeing.

On Wednesday, the suspect led a CID team to his rented apartment at Riveria Bay, where they recovered the pistol and a magazine. The firearm was found to be an air pistol that looked like an automatic pistol.

Dev Kumar added that police also recovered several other items from the apartment, suggesting that the suspect had committed many similar crimes.

The suspect is currently under remand until Jan 29.