KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — The three individuals, suspected to be members of the Rantau Fiesta gang, shot dead by the police early today in Selayang Jaya, are believed to be involved in more than 50 robberies and burglaries in six states, said Selangor Police Chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan.

Hussein said preliminary investigations found that the three Rohingya criminals, all in their 30s, had been involved in crime since 2011, and one of them, believed to be the leader, had been imprisoned and returned to his old habits after his release in 2017.

"In the incident which occurred after midnight, the police spotted a Ford Fiesta car, which was in a suspicious manner in Selayang Jaya and stopped the vehicle.

"However, when the policemen wanted to carry out an inspection, two of the suspects fired three shots at the police, forcing the police to fire back. The police fired seven shots which hit the three suspects, all of whom died at the scene," he told a special press conference at the Gombak District Police Headquarters here today.

He said police then searched the car and found two Revolver-type pistols and a machete.

According to Hussein, apart from Selangor, the suspects were also believed to be involved in robberies and housebreaking in Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur, Pahang and Penang.

In Selangor alone, he said, the group was believed to be responsible for 27 cases of robberies and burglaries, involving a loss of RM1.3 million.

The most recent incident involved a housebreaking case in Batang Kali on Dec 8 with losses amounting to RM445,000, including three Rolex watches and two Hublot watches, he added.

Hussein said the gang's modus operandi was to steal small and easily disposable luxury goods such as jewellery and luxury watches.

The police are tracking down the remaining members of the gang as well as the buyers of the goods stolen by the suspects, he said, adding that the investigation was being carried out under Section 307 of the Penal Code," he said. — Bernama