SHAH ALAM, March 12 — The suspect of a daring robbery near a bank in Puchong Prima, Puchong, near here yesterday was believed to be using a pistol stolen from a police Lance Corporal who was killed on Aug 31, 2017.
Selangor police chief, Datuk Arjunaidi Mohamed said the Walther P99 pistol was believed to have been taken from Lance Corporal Valentino Mesa who was killed after he was attacked and shot at the USJ Pinggiran Kommunity Police Beat.
“Preliminary investigation found the pistol used in the robbery near the bank yesterday was stolen from our personnel who had died.
“With the detention of the 38-year-old local man we have succeeded in recovering the pistol,” he said.
He was speaking at a media conference on the development of the brazen robbery case near a bank in Puchong Prima yesterday in which a security guard was killed and another injured.
On August 31, 2017, the media reported that Lance Corporal Valentino Mesa, 29, was found dead at the police beat by members of an MPV Patrol Unit back from a patrol, with a gunshot wound on his body at 3.25 am.
In addition, Arjunaidi said the police also identified six armed robberies in Selangor which were suspected to have been carried out by a lone robber using the pistol.
Commenting on yesterday’s case, Arjunaidi said that four security guards from a security company were transferring RM1.03 million in cash from the bank to a van when the incident took place at 5.50 pm.
“The suspect fired his pistol three times when a scuffle ensued between him and the guards during the robbery. One-shot hit a guard in the back killing him.
“Of the subsequent two shots, one hit another guard in the left ribs and he is being treated at the Serdang Hospital,” he said.
“The suspect escaped with about RM500,000. And the police were able to recover RM350,000 from the suspect when we detained him,” he said.
The suspect was arrested in front of Maybank in Section 20 here at 6.10 pm yesterday.
Earlier, the suspect was remanded seven days from today under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, and Section 3 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971.
— Bernama
