SEMPORNA, May 2 — An undocumented migrant actively involved in housebreaking and theft in Semporna, was shot dead by the police at a stilt house in Kampung Panji Laut on Friday (April 30).

The male suspect, known as Jamalsalih Kaldo, 40, from the Philippines, who is believed to be involved in nine burglary and theft cases worth about RM80,000 here, was shot during a raid at 9.30pm, after he allegedly attacked the police with a 70-centimetre-long machete.

Semporna police chief Supt Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the incident occurred when a team from the Semporna Police Criminal Investigation Division led by Insp Azwan Asis entered a room in the house, and the suspect suddenly leaped out brandishing a machete at the police.

"Police fired four shots as the suspect acted aggressively. The first shot hit the suspect’s right thigh, the second in the middle of the abdomen and the third and fourth hit the right and left sides of his chest, before he fell onto the floor.

"At the time, the suspect also tried to reach for a ‘flying feather’ (dart-like traditional street weapon) measuring 13.5cm, but it was seized by the police, and the suspect was then taken to the Semporna Hospital’s emergency ward before being confirmed dead at 12.40 am,” he said in a press conference here today.

Mohd Farhan said the suspect, who is also a drug addict, was believed to be operating solo, and used a machete when breaking into a house to steal items such as cash and gold.

He said the suspect had four criminal records, among them, in 2013, when he was jailed for a year and deported to his country of origin after being found guilty of an offence under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder.

"In the 2013 incident, the suspect also swung a machete at the police, before the police fired two shots at his leg,” he said.

Meanwhile, he advised parents not to allow their children to drive without a licence to avoid any untoward incidents.

He said this following an incident where a 17-year-old male student without a licence was killed after the vehicle he was driving skidded and plunged into a ditch before hitting an electric pole in Kampung Indani here at 7.25pm yesterday. — Bernama