BALING, Jan 10 — Two siblings were among five men arrested for possession of homemade firearms in two raids in Kuala Ketil here on Wednesday and yesterday.

Baling district police chief Supt Shamsudin Mamat said in the first raid, the siblings, aged 34 and 43, were nabbed at a house in Kampung Bukit Pak Kuning at 4.30am on January 6 based on a tip-off from members of the public.

"Police inspection found a homemade shotgun with two bullets and homemade an air rifle with 22 ball bearings.

"Police also found two magnets, two stocks believed to be used for making homemade guns, a cutter and a weapon cleaner,” he told in a news conference here, today.

Based on interrogation of the suspects, police subsequently arrested three Thai men, aged 36 to 46, at a farm in Padang Ragut, Bukit Pak Kuning at noon yesterday.

Shamsudin said police also found three homemade rifles in three shared residences at the farm.

He added that the five suspects, who knew each other, were believed to have been using the rifles for illegal hunting in a jungle here.

The siblings are remanded from Wednesday until January 15 while the three Thai men are on remand for 14 days starting today.

The case is being investigated under Section 8 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971; Section 36 of the Arms Act 1960 and Section 15(1) of the Immigration Act 1959/1963. — Bernama