GEORGE TOWN, June 26 — Two men were shot dead in a shootout with the police on Jalan Permatang Baru, Sungai Lokan in Butterworth early this morning. They were believed to be en route to commit a crime, either robbery or drug trafficking.

Penang police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said that a team from the special investigation unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), while encountered a suspicious Perodua Myvi at the intersection of Jalan Pokok Sena and Jalan Permatang Baru, Sungai Dua, at 2.05am.

"The police team then approached the car and instructed the driver to stop the vehicle for inspection. However, the driver sped off, firing several shots at the police.

"The police pursued the car for about two kilometres before it skidded off the road. When the police attempted to inspect the vehicle, the suspects fired shots, prompting the police to return fire in self-defence,” he said at a press conference at the Penang Police Contingent Headquarters today.

He reported that after the situation calmed down, the police conducted an inspection and found that both the driver and the front passenger, aged 41 and 51 respectively, had died from gunshot wounds.

Hamzah added that further inspection yielded two Glock and SW 38 pistols and 176 bullets in the car. Police investigations found that they had obtained the firearms from a neighbouring country.

He said the police also conducted checks on the Perodua Myvi used by the two men and found that the vehicle was believed to have been stolen, as it belonged to a man in Terengganu and its road tax had expired since 2021.

"Investigations also revealed that the two men had 12 and 13 previous criminal records respectively. We are currently conducting further investigations to determine whether they were members of a secret society,” he said.

The case is being investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code and Section 8 of the Arms Act 1960. — Bernama