KUALA LUMPUR: A prime suspect in the murder cum robbery case of a retired director of Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) on Sunday was among 10 people arrested by police in a condominium unit on Jalan Sultan Ismail less than 20 hours later.
The police party learnt that all 10 men who are aged between 21 and 29 and lived together at the rented apartment had past criminal records for robbery, burglary, drug related offences and other crimes.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Commissioner Datuk Saiful Azly Kamaruddin said today that investigations positively identified one of the suspects as being involved in the robbery and murder of former Mardi director Dr Wan Hassan Wan Embong, 73.
He said the hunt for the suspect’s accomplices is ongoing.
Saiful said investigators managed to break the case following public information after the two robbers who attacked Wan Hassan struck again at another bungalow belonging to a 34-year-old engineer in Titiwangsa here about an hour later at 5.15am.
The robbers who were armed with a hammer and parang tied up and gagged the engineer and his family members before ransacking the house and escaping through a window they had earlier pried open.
The engineer’s losses were estimated at RM38,000 after the suspects bundled cash, electrical appliances, jewellery and computers.
Saiful said as the robbers were making their escape, a passer-by spotted them and chided the men.
He said one of the robbers threw a wallet belonging to Wan Hassan nearby after emptying it of cash.
“We retrieved the wallet and developed a photofit based on the description given by the engineer and his family. These clues led us to the suspects who were arrested at the condominium at about 11.55pm on Sunday. We seized several items including a car that was used by the suspects during the robbery. Our search for the murder weapon is ongoing. All 10 suspects have been remanded.” he said, adding that the items were seized at a different location and not at the condominium.
Saiful also advised the public to refrain from taking on armed robbers as it can be dangerous to their safety.
“Keep calm and do not confront armed robbers in such dangerous situations. Most importantly, try to get a clear description of the criminals for police to trace them.” he said in a press conference at the KL police headquarters here.
On Sunday, Dr Wan Hassan who was slashed in the face and neck with a sharp weapon died at his two-storey bungalow in Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar, after being attacked by two armed robbers who had earlier broken in.
Wan Hassan and his wife had stepped out of their room to get a drink of water when they stumbled upon the robbers.
Wan Hassan had confronted the robbers and put up a fight when they demanded for cash and valuables while his wife, Sarifah Yusof, 70, a retired government school teacher managed to hide in a room.
She was slashed in her right hand by the robbers and was sent to hospital for treatment.
The robbers grabbed some valuables and escaped through a kitchen window of the house.
