LAHAD DATU: Police are investigating claims that five heavily armed men were allegedly spotted at an oil palm plantation in Felda Sahabat near here.
It was learnt that a farmer allegedly came across the men armed with M60 general-purpose machine gun as well as M16 and M14 rifles at about 6.20pm, on April 30.
The five were also allegedly clad in camouflage pants, boots, sling bag and red cloths wrapped around their shoulders.
Following the sighting, a police report was lodged at the Cenderawasih police station in Felda Sahabat.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Ramli Din when contacted confirmed that report on the matter was received.
He stressed that all elements have been deployed to investigate the allegation.
Ramli however did not provide further details and urged members of the public not to panic or make speculation as a probe is currently underway.
According to the police report, a 52-year-old farmer spotted the men after hearing people talking across a river.
Realising they had been seen, two of the armed men approached and asked the farmer if he is a Filipino or an Indonesian.
The men were speaking in Malay with a Filipino accent.
When the farmer replied that he was a Filipino, the five men then began speaking to him in Tagalog, telling him that their presence was harmless.
The also claimed they had no bad intention and were not going to cause any trouble but were there to save the people of Sabah.
They also claimed 37 of their colleagues had landed at a beach.
The five armed men then left the vicinity.
The following day, the farmer related the incident to a friend before lodging a police report.
In Feb 2013, Filipino gunmen who were followers of the defunct Sulu Sultanate entered Kampung Tanduo at Sahabat 16 to stake a claim on Sabah.
The intrusion saw 10 Malaysian security forces killed, including in a shooting incident at Kampung Simunul in Semporna.