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KUALA LUMPUR: A prime suspect in the robbery with murder of a retired director of Malaysia’s Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) last Sunday was among 10 people arrested by police in a condominium unit in Jalan Sultan Ismail, less than 20 hours after.
Police learned that the 10 men, ages 21 to 29, who lived together in the rented apartment had criminal records for robbery, theft, drug-related offenses and other crimes.
Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Comm Datuk Saiful Azly Kamaruddin said yesterday that investigations positively identified one of the suspects as being involved in the robbery and murder of 71-year-old Dr. Wan Hassan Wan Embong.
He said the search for the suspect’s accomplices continues.
Saiful said investigators were able to solve the case following public information after the two thieves who attacked Wan Hassan re-attacked another bungalow belonging to a 34-year-old engineer in Titiwangsa about an hour later at 5.15am. day.
The robbers, who were armed with a hammer and a parang, bound and gagged the engineer and his family before looting the house and escaping through a window they had opened earlier.
The engineer’s losses were estimated at RM 38,000 after the suspects left with cash, appliances, jewelry and computers.
Saiful said that as the robbers were escaping, a passerby spotted them.
He said one of the thieves also threw away a wallet that belonged to Wan Hassan after emptying it of cash.
“We recovered the wallet and developed a photofit based on the description given by the engineer and his family.
“These leads led us to the suspects, who were arrested around 11:55 pm last Sunday.
“We confiscated several items, including a car that was used by the suspects during the robberies. Our search for the murder weapon continues. All 10 suspects have been detained, ”he said, adding that the items were seized from a different location.
Saiful also advised the public to refrain from confronting armed robbers, as it can be dangerous.
“Stay calm and do not face armed robbers in such situations. The most important thing is to try to get a clear description of the offenders so that the police can track them down, ”he told a news conference at the police headquarters.
Last Sunday, Wan Hassan, who was stabbed in the face and neck with a sharp weapon, died in his two-story bungalow in Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar, after being attacked by two armed robbers, who had previously broken in.
Wan Hassan had confronted thieves when they demanded cash and valuables, while his wife, Sarifah Yusof, 70, a retired public school teacher, managed to hide in a room.
They cut her right hand and sent her to the hospital for treatment.
The thieves grabbed some valuables and escaped through a kitchen window.
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