GEORGE TOWN: Police detained four Myanmar and two local men including an officer from the Immigration Department of Malaysia for extorting and robbing foreigners in several raids in Penang and Kedah from Friday to yesterday.

Penang police chief, Datuk T. Narenasegaran said police received reports on extortions and robberies of foreigners by the suspects since two weeks ago and conducted intelligence and spying activities to detect them.

‘’Police detained a Myanmar man and his son on Friday in Bukit Tengah, Penang and nabbed two more after several raids, also in the state. They were aged from 24 to 44 years.

‘’From the information they provided police nabbed two men including an immigration officer, aged 33 and 44 years, in Kedah, yesterday. We are also hunting for another immigration officer and his accomplice who were also believed to be involved in robbing foreigners in the state. All the suspects nabbed were remanded for seven days,“ he told reporters after a handing over of duty ceremony, here today.

Bukit Aman Logistics and Technology Department deputy director 111 Datuk Abdul Razak Elias was appointed as the new Penang deputy police chief following the promotion of state deputy police chief Datuk Roslee Chik as Terengganu chief police officer.

Commenting further, Narenasegaran said investigations found the two immigration officers who were stationed in Kedah with their two accomplices and the four Myanmar citizens were believed to have been involved in extorting and robbing foreigners in the state since early this year.

‘’A Myanmar couple lost RM21,126 after four men turned up at their rented house claiming to be immigration officers at 1am, last Friday in Bukit Mertajam. One wore the department’s uniform while the rest wore caps with the department’s logo.”

In addition to the case, he said the gang was also believed to be involved in two other robberies in Batu Kawan and Simpang Ampat using the same modus operandi resulting in the victims, who were foreigners, losing RM165,000.

Narenasegaran said police seized jewellery worth RM20,000, pawnshop documents, some bags and cellphones believed to be proceeds from their activities including hand cuffs, uniform and authority cards of the Immigration Department of Malaysia.

In another development, he said police were waiting for a full medical report of an 11-year-old girl who sustained injuries in an abuse case at the Ampang Jajar Flats in Permatang Pauh, here.

‘’The girl is still warded at the Seberang Jaya (HSJ) Pediatric Ward. I understand the specialist have made further examinations including X-ray and CT scan. We are waiting for a full report in order to complete our investigation paper on the case,’’ he said

Currently, he said the victim and her eight-year-old brother were under the custody of the Social Welfare Department while her step-mother and biological father were still under remand to help in investigation on the case.

The girl was rescued by a non-government organisation after it obtained information on the abuse from residents of the flat. She was found with serious injuries on the body, hands and face and could barely open both eyes. - Bernama