KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's top cop Khalid Abu Bakar may insist he's got everything under control but it looks like the criminals in the country are not ready to listen to him!
Not only are gangland-style assassinations "virtually a daily occurrence" as Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has warned, extortionists appear to be the next group to go on a 'free-for-all' strike at helpless victims.
Affluent George Town in Penang was the latest to suffer from the recent spate of crime that has erupted across the nation. The northern island was the site of three high-profile crimes on Thursday, the first day of Hari Raya.
An Indian man with suspected links to drug trafficking syndicates was shot 14 times in the head and neck when his car stopped at a traffic in busy Anson Road. He died on the spot. [ Read DRUGS LINK? Shot in the head 14 TIMES at Anson Rd traffic light on 1st day of Hari Raya]
From Anson Road to Pulau Tikus
His 29-year-old son, wife and their domestic worker were at home when a gunman struck at around 1.15am. No one was injured in the shooting.
According to the Star, the man had earlier lodged a police report, claiming that he received an extortion letter together with six bullets.
"Based on the CCTV footages, the gunman fired the shots randomly outside the house," police said, adding that the owner had a shock after discovering fragments of broken window panels and bullet marks on them.
The owner, who is now abroad, told police that he received a text message in Chinese demanding for money to be deposited into a local bank account.
"We have since frozen the telephone numbers and the bank account," police said, adding that the case is being investigated for criminal intimidation.
Shot 7 TIMES at Jalan Datuk Keramat
Over at Jalan Datuk Keramat, a 43-year-old man, believed to be the chief bouncer of a dance club, was shot 7 times in front of the entrance to a mall. Fortunately for the victim, only a single bullet from the found the target, hitting him in the left thigh.
According to the Star, the chief bouncer was talking to a man at the open car park who then shot him as he headed towards the entertainment outlets. He then rushed limping to one of the dance clubs to seek help from friends, and was taken to the Penang Hospital.
He is now in a stable condition.
The victim, known only as Too Pek, was said to be one of the top guns of a notorious triad in Penang state.
Crime wave intensifies while IGP offers excuses
"This morning I have called up the Penang Chief Police Officer, who is still in Penang. He briefed me on the situation and that the Penang police are doing what they can to be on top of the situation," Guan Eng said in a statement.
"Whilst some of these shootings and casualties may be related to criminal gangland rivalry, 3 shootings in a day indicates a deteriorating crime situation that will place doubts on public safety."
According to Guan Eng, the Penang state government would offer to pay for increased staff to monitor CCTV placed around the island so as to help lighten the workload of the police.
Guan Eng also urged Penangites to be on alert and to report to the authorities any incidents they may have witnessed in order to help the fight against crime.
As for IGP Khalid, he may have spoken too soon. Instead of abating, critics say it looks like the crime-wave will continue until he is able to come up with concrete measures rather than make bare denials and excuses.
“We are trying to get to the root of this problem and in order to do so, we will be liaising with our neighbouring countries and have more frequent exchanges of information.
“While we are at it, we need the people to understand that this does not mean the situation is out of control. It merely seems such as it’s all occurring at the same time,” Khalid had said.
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