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3rd September, 2010
KENINGAU: Five local men have been arrested for illegal possession of firearms. They were picked up on Wednesday at about 12.40am at Batu Tiga, Jalan Sook while on the way back from hunting at the Luasong forest reserve in Kalabakan, Tawau.
District police chief DSP Zahari Mohamed said acting on a public tip-off, a police team on patrol stopped a red Isuzu Trooper and following a thorough check, they found three shotguns and 61 live ammunitions in the vehicle. The police team also recovered two dead wild boars and a deer.
Initial investigation showed that four of the men were from Kampung Baru in Bingkor and the fifth, from Kampung Minansut. The five hunters hit the road for their hunting trip on Sunday at 4am and arrived at the location at about 3pm the following day.
“They are being held under Section 8 (a) of the Firearms Act for possessing firearms without a licence,” Zahari said. The offence carries a jail term not exceeding seven years or a fine of not more than RM10,000 or both if convicted.
In the wake of the incident, Zahari has advised licensed firearm owners not to abuse their permit. “The firearm is meant for them to look after their farms and not for hunting,” he said. And, he also urged them not to sell ammunitions “otherwise we’ll not hesitate to repossess their guns”.
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