KOTA TINGGI: Police have arrested two men who were suspected of robbing the driver of the taxi they were while traveling near the Thai San Kong temple in Pengerang yesterday.
Kota Tinggi district police chief, Superintendent Hussin Zamora, said the two Malaysian men, in their 30s, had earlier boarded the taxi at 3.50pm from Gelang Patah headed to Pengerang.
"Around 4.30pm, the men then produced a switchblade knife at the back of the taxi driver, who is in his 70s.
"They instructed the man to hand over his valuables. They then escaped into the nearby bushes," he said in a media statement.
The taxi driver then lodged a report at the Pengerang police station at 4.53pm.
Police then deployed a team from the Kota Tinggi district police's Criminal Investigation Department, who managed to nab the two men less than four hours later.
They were nabbed near the crime scene.
Hussin said the men had robbed the cabbie of a mobile phone, RM400 in cash and a wristwatch.
All the items were successfully recovered.
Hussin said one of the men sported spider and centipede tattoos on his left chest and right arm.
"We believe that he could be a member of Gang 08," he said.
Both men tested negative for drug use. However, both of them had criminal records. One was on the wanted list for two criminal cases in Serendah and Rawang in 2022 and 2010, respectively.
He said both suspects have been remanded for a week to facilitate investigation.