JOHOR BARU: A 63-year-old man with a criminal record has died in a shootout with police at Taman Molek, says Johor police chief Comm Datuk M. Kumar.

He confirmed that a report has been lodged and that police are investigating the shootout, which occurred at around 3.10am on Saturday (March 8).

“The incident took place when a team from the state police contingent special investigation division (D9) was patrolling the area in two police vehicles.

“They spotted a motorcycle ridden by a man behaving suspiciously along Jalan Persiaran Bumi Hijau in Taman Molek,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

Comm Kumar added that the team followed and successfully stopped the motorcycle in a nearby area.

“However, as they were about to conduct an inspection, the suspect suddenly fired several shots at the officers, prompting police to return fire in self-defence until the situation was under control.

“Upon inspection, police found that the suspect, who is a local, had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene,” he said, adding that police recovered a Smith & Wesson pistol, four live bullets, and two spent shell casings near the suspect.

Comm Kumar also said a background check revealed that the suspect had 14 prior criminal and drug-related records, including one under the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971, one under the Arms Act 1960, and an active warrant for his arrest.

“The suspect’s body has been sent to Sultan Ismail Hospital for a post-mortem,” he added.

He declined to elaborate further on the case as it is still being investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code and Section 3 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971.

Comm Kumar urged the public to continue providing information on criminal and drug-related activities in their areas to assist police in maintaining safety and security in the state.

He said reports can be made via the Johor police hotline at 019-2792095 or its operations room number at 07-2212999.