State police chief Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd said in the 9.50am incident, a police team patrolling the area received a tip-off from members of the public on a suspicious-looking BMW car.
“During the patrol, the police came across the car and ordered the driver to stop the vehicle but instead heard gunshots. Subsequently, we fired back in self-defence.
“Upon inspection, the three men, with no identification documents, were found dead in the car. We also found a revolver and a homemade pistol with bullets,” he told reporters at the scene here today.
Wan Ahmad Najmuddin said police believed they had solved 10 armed robbery cases involving about RM700,000 in losses, including the latest case in Johor Bahru last week.
He said police also believed that the trio were members of a robbery syndicate in the state with their network extended to as far as Kelantan and had been targeting people using ATMs for cash withdrawal as their modus operandi.
“We believe we have crippled the syndicate with the death of the three men. We also believe we will hunt down the remnants of the syndicate,” said Wan Ahmad Najmuddin.
He said initial investigation revealed that the car was not stolen and police were closing in on the owner.
“I would like to advise members of the public to exercise caution when withdrawing cash at banks. Try to reduce the withdrawal amount and get security services if there is a need to withdraw a large amount, especially when paying salary.