KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Police found a money-minting machine in a car they had chased for 5km yesterday, with the drama ending in two shots fired and the arrest of three men.

They also seized counterfeit notes, a pair of handcuffs, cooking utensils and an unspecified amount of methamphetamine.

The driver, 33, sustained a gunshot wound on his left hand and injuries after his face hit the steering wheel.

He had been arrested previously for offences involving fake money and drugs.

The second man, 25, who was in the front passenger seat, had also been arrested five times previously for similar offences.

The third suspect, a soldier who had deserted his duties at the Sungai Besi Camp, did not have a criminal record.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Zainuddin Ahmad believed the money-minting machine was being used to print conterfeit notes.

“We are checking the identity of the owner of the vehicle’” he said.

Zainuddin said a task force was conducting routine checks behind the Chow Kit police station at 12.30pm when it spotted the men in a Proton Wira.

“The car sped off when policemen approached it,” he said.

“The task force gave chase and ordered the driver to stop in Jalan Raja Laut. Instead, he rammed into other vehicles and sped off to the Segambut roundabout.”

A woman and a police officer were injured when their vehicles were hit.

Police then fired the shots which brought the car to a halt.