IPOH, Feb 3 — A 62-year-old lorry driver suffered a fatal heart attack after he was locked up in a storage container during an armed robbery at a storage site in Kampung Bemban, Batu Gajah, yesterday.

V. Arunasalam, from Seremban, died during the ordeal which was believed to have lasted for more than four hours.

Batu Gajah police district chief ACP Shaharon Anuar Abdul Latif said they received a call from one of the factory’s security guards at 4.30am yesterday.

After arriving at the scene, they discovered two security guards and two workers tied up and locked in a storage container.

“Initial investigation indicates the robbery was carried out by around 15 men armed with machetes,” he said. 

“The robbers stole 12 of the workers’ mobile phones, jewellery, 15 rolls of cables, two 32-inch LCD televisions, a home theatre set and RM3,500 in cash before making off with their loot in a lorry.”

Shaharon said none of the other victims suffered any injuries besides Arunasalam, whose remains were sent to the Batu Gajah Hospital for a post-mortem.

It was learned that Arunasalam, who had been working at the company for over four years, was married and had a son and a daughter.

Meanwhile, the manager of the site, who declined to be named, told the Malay Mail this was not the first time a gang robbery had occurred in the Bemban industrial park.

“We had heard of similar incidents at other factories but we are still in shock because we never thought it would happen to us. It is especially tragic that one of our employees was killed in the robbery,” he said.

The manager revealed some company property had also been stolen, but said the extent of the losses had not been assessed yet. He said the company would look into increasing security measures at the site.

Shaharom said the case was being investigated under sections 302 and 395 of the Penal Code for murder and gang robbery, respectively.