PETALING JAYA (Aug 6): Petaling Jaya police have confirmed that a group of armed men stormed a house on Jalan Bukit Gasing, here, early on Wednesday morning, in a violent robbery that targeted a prominent prosecution witness in the high-profile Lim Guan Eng corruption trial. However, the police have stated that the robbery has nothing to do with any trial.
In an official statement issued on Wednesday, Petaling Jaya District Police Chief ACP Shahrulnizam Ja’afar said the district police operations room received the first alert about the armed robbery at approximately 7.20am.
This confirms The Edge’s earlier report, which quoted a police source as saying that the break-in may have been a robbery.
When asked by the press via group text whether this robbery had any connection to any court cases, Shahrulnizam replied that the robbery has no connection to any court case.
"It's a straight robbery case. Nothing else," said Shahrulnizam reaffirmed when contacted by The Edge.
According to the police statement by Shahrulnizam, several masked suspects armed with machetes (parang) broke into the home, forcibly accessed a safe, and escaped with valuable items. However, he did not say what the items were or their value.
“The suspects, believed to be in a group, fled the scene via a forest trail located behind the house,” said Shahrulnizam.
He said that police are investigating the case under Section 395 or Section 397 of the Penal Code for armed gang robbery.
Investigating police and a source close to the trial have told The Edge that house belongs the key witness in the ongoing trial against former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng over the controversial RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel project.
As reported by The Edge, the robbery victim sustained injuries to his face and hands in the incident.
Investigations are still ongoing. Authorities are urging anyone with relevant information to come forward and contact the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters operations room at 03-7966 2222, or reach out directly to investigating officer Assistant Superintendent Fandhi Fatullah Abu Bakar at 014-630 3090.
Shahrulnizam assured the public that police are treating the case with urgency and that a full update will be released upon the conclusion of the investigation.
Note: This story has been amended and the victim’s name, which was initially mentioned, has been removed.