A Malaysian police officer was killed after being rammed by a getaway vehicle driven by suspected burglars during a robbery in the state of Kedah, prompting a murder investigation and fresh public concern over safety amid a rise in property crime nationwide.
Advertisement
Corporal Mohd Hafizul Izham Mazlan, 35, died on Thursday afternoon in Alor Setar after stepping out of his patrol car and being struck by a Lexus SUV as four suspects attempted to flee the scene of a house break-in in the Taman Golf residential area.
The father of three suffered severe injuries to his head and body and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. He is survived by his wife and children aged four, nine and eleven.
Kedah state police commissioner Adzli Abu Samah said the suspects were arrested shortly after the incident, including one at the scene and the other three around 12km (7.5 miles) away in Kepala Batas.
The group had abandoned their original vehicle and hijacked another car from an elderly couple, forcing the husband out of the driver’s seat while the wife remained inside.
Advertisement
The stolen car “was then involved in an accident in Kepala Batas before the police managed to arrest all the suspects around the area,” the commissioner said.
01:45
Asean leaders sign Kuala Lumpur Declaration as Malaysian PM warns of ‘unsettled’ international order
Asean leaders sign Kuala Lumpur Declaration as Malaysian PM warns of ‘unsettled’ international order