KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — Police were forced to open fire before apprehending three suspected kidnappers in a car at Jalan Cengkeh, Taman Cheras, here yesterday.

Cheras district police chief ACP Aidil Bolhassan said the suspects, males aged between 24 and 30, were inside a Perodua Aruz together with a man believed to have been kidnapped in Taman Nusa Bestari, Johor, earlier in the morning.

"At 2.30 pm when a police car stopped and instructed the suspects to exit their vehicle, they repeatedly rammed the police vehicle in an attempt to flee,” he said in a statement.

To stop their actions, which posed a threat to the safety of the officers, several shots were fired at the suspects' vehicle tyres, he added.

The 26-year-old victim is believed to have been abducted in front of an entertainment outlet at 5.47 am, as captured by a closed-circuit television (CCTV).

The motive behind the kidnapping is still under investigation. — Bernama