Kamarudin, 73, or better known as Kenny by his team members, said he pretended to be a communist terrorist when he took part in the one-year operation dubbed Ops Kelah in Kuala Lipis, Pahang, in 1982 to nab insurgents from the Malayan Communist Party.

“I pretended to be one of them by dressing up like them but I just kept quiet because I could not speak Chinese.

“I just sat, raised my hand, and saluted along with the other communist members. When my friends (F-Team members) were able to sneak in to attack the communist camp, I helped to arrest the enemies,” he said when met after a talk show here to highlight the struggles of former policemen in conjunction with the National Day celebration.

Kamarudin, who served the police force for 23 years, said Ops Kelah which comprised about 30 F-Team members, managed to capture 24 communist terrorists, including the leader of the 16th Fighter Unit, and seized a large number of firearms and communication devices that were brought from southern Thailand.

An internet search revealed that, in 1982, Ops Kelah was mounted against the 16th Fighter Unit of the Malayan Communist Party after they infiltrated from southern Thailand through the Titiwangsa Range from Perak and Kelantan, heading south up to Kuala Lipis.