SEMPORNA: The most beautiful waters in the world were the unlikely setting for an orgy of violence, and a deadly confrontation between bloodthirsty, modern-day pirates and fearless law enforcement personnel here last night.
Seven armed bandits in a speedboat took to the waters of Lahad Datu and Semporna and engaged in wanton hijacking, theft, kidnapping and murder on a scale never before seen here, with the crew of fishing trawlers taking the brunt of their brutality.
And although much of it occurred in the pitch blackness of night, the tension and terror were palpable for everyone involved.
The bandits began their rampage in the Bakapit waters of Lahad Datu, where they stormed and commandeered a fishing trawler at around 9pm. The vessel was ransacked and several items, including a mobile phone, were looted; and one member of the crew was abducted, and taken with the men on their continuing spree of violence.
The gang then cruised into Semporna waters, where they encountered a second hapless fishing boat near Pulau Gaya, which they also boarded, taking with them food items and an outboard engine – and leaving the crew stranded.
Several nautical miles later, the bandits came across another defenceless fishing trawler, which they summarily stripped of valuable items, and from which they plucked a second hostage.
As far as the bandits were concerned, the night was far from over, as they were intent on pilfering from many more boats – but when they approached a fourth vessel not long after, little did they know that they had unwittingly led themselves to the boat of the not-to-be-messed-with GOF Battalion 14's Tiger Platoon.
When they realised too late what they were facing, the bandits opened fire, which led to a minute-long shootout – in complete darkness.
"The kidnap group intended to find other boats to steal from, until their vessel (unwittingly) approached the boat of the GOF Battalion 14's Tiger Platoon.
"As they drew closer, the Platoon leader saw clearly that one of the kidnappers was holding a long firearm, and another was carrying what looked like a heavy weapon, while a third was laden with chains of bullets around his body,” said Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Abd Rashid Harun.
Realising the threat, the officers shouted “Police!” to force the group to identify themselves. However, upon hearing the word, shots were fired from the kidnappers' boat.
"The security team returned fire to defend themselves, and I was told the exchange lasted about one minute," Rashid added at a press conference at the district police station here.
When the skirmish ended, the kidnappers’ bullet-riddled boat began to sink, and upon closer examination, three of the criminals were found dead, floating on the water, while two were still alive, and another had disappeared, specifically, the member with the chains of bullets, he added.
Rashid said one kidnap victim from the Lahad Datu incident was rescued, while the second is still missing and the search and rescue operation continues.
He said at the time, the GOF members involved were conducting an Ops Coral stint to ensure safety in zones under the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom), which was initiated in Sept.