NIBONG TEBAL: Police shot dead two Vietnamese men after they tried to attack them with parang in Bukit Panchor here early this morning.
In the 3.20am incident, a team of on-duty police officers came accross two men acting suspiciously inside a Proton Waja at the scene.
State police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said the police approached the car and discovered that the duo, aged 38 and 39, had just exited a nearby factory.
"We ordered them to stop for checks, but the duo, armed with parangs, attacked our officers instead.
"We had no choice but to fire four shots in self-defense. Both suspects were later confirmed dead at the scene.
"We believe that we have solved six cases of factory break-ins in Penang and five similar cases in Kedah, involving losses amounting to RM317,700," he told reporters at the Seberang Prai Selatan district police headquarters here today.
Hamzah said checks at the scene later led to the recovery of two parang and an assortment of equipments used for break-ins.
He added preliminary investigation showed that the syndicate had been involved in factory break-ins since 2017.
Both suspects, he said, had valid travel passports.
"We believe there are other members (of the syndicate) still out there. We are in the process of identifying them," he added.
Hamzah said the syndicate's modus operandi was to break into factories or offices, believed to store huge amounts of cash.
"They are experts and study the situation before pulling any break-in. We are investigating if they are working with 'inside people'. We are identifying the possible masterminds," he said.
Hamzah said one of the suspects had two previous criminal records while another had six previous records.
"We have opened up an investigation paper under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder.
"The remains of the suspects have been sent to the Seberang Jaya Hospital Forensic Department for post-mortem," he said.