KOTA KINABALU: Sabah police had recorded 26 deaths due to the use of home-made gun, ‘bakakuk’, over the past five years.
State police commissioner Datuk Ramli Din said five bakakuk-related death cases were recorded last year.
“Most of the deaths were due to accidental shooting whereby the bakakuk owners either accidentally shot their friend or themselves during hunting.
“There was a case in Kinabatangan last year, where a man accidentally shot himself while riding a motorcycle.
“The man was believed to have lost control and accidentally pulled the trigger. He was carrying a bakakuk while riding his bike,” he told Berita Harian, recently.
Since 2013, Ramli said police seized 193 bakakuks and arrested 238 people.
Last year, 95 people were detained for possessing the home-made firearms and 71 bakakuks were confiscated.
Over the five year period, Ramli said 117 people were charged, 107 had since been sentenced, while the trial involving the rest of the cases are ongoing.
In a related matter, Ramli said police were also assisting the Sabah Wildlife Department in tackling illegal wildlife hunting or poaching using bakakuk.
He cited there being three cases of illegal wildlife hunting, with the first case involves the discovery of an elephant carcass in Lahad Datu two years ago.
In the incident, a bullet believed fired from a bakakuk was found near the carcass.
“The second case also took place in Kinabatangan last year, where a female elephant with nine gunshot wounds was found,” he said.
In Nov last year, another elephant carcass was discovered in Kalabakan plantation in Tawau. It had three gunshot wounds.