GEORGE TOWN, Aug 28 — A would-be robber who threatened to set a bank on fire was shot dead today by a security guard with lightning quick reflexes.
In the morning incident, a moustachioed man wearing a baseball cap entered the bank, carrying a plastic bottle containing petrol, which he later poured over the counter, before allegedly shouting: “It’s a robbery”.
A security guard on duty behind the counter immediately opened fire on the would-be robber, killing the man on the spot, Penang deputy police chief DCP A. Thaiveegan told a news conference here at the site of the incident.
“He shot the man twice from behind the counter,” Thaiveegan said.
The suspect was later found to be wearing a false moustache. He had another bottle of petrol and a machete with him, the policeman said.
“The 29-year-old guard did his job. I am very proud of him that he took action accurately and he was sharp,” Thaiveegan said.
Although there were six or seven customers in the bank, he said there were no other casualties in the incident.
“The man had entered the bank alone but his may have accomplices waiting outside so we will be checking the CCTV recordings to investigate further,” he said.
Police also believed the man was the same one involved in another bank robbery in May.
“The same modus operandi was used in the robbery in May where the robber had doused the counter in petrol and robbed RM60,000 from a bank,” the senior policeman said.
The police are investigating the case under Section 395/397 of the Penal Code for armed robbery.
