KANGAR, Feb 14 — A corporal from the General Operations Force (PGA) fired 100 random shots with an M16 rifle while under the influence of drugs in an incident at the Security Post of the Malaysia-Thailand border in Padang Besar on Saturday.
The 34-year-old PGA member, who is serving with the 1st Battalion based in Ulu Kinta Camp, Perak, was arrested by his colleagues only after he had run out of ammunition.
According to Perlis CID chief Supt Azhar Muda, the corporal was involved in a shooting rampage at five locations about 800 meters from the Bukit Kuan Chu (BKC7) Security Post on the Thailand border.
He said the incident began at 4.15pm when the corporal was shooting at the border wall but his rifle was seized by his colleagues.
“While his colleagues were praying, he took one of their rifles and rode a motorcycle 800 metres to a rubber plantation to fire random shots before proceeding to the third location, where he shot at a border lamp post,” Azhar said at a press conference here today.
He said the corporal then went to a fish pond at Jalan Stesyen Keretapi about 400 metres from BKC7 and pointed the gun to two anglers there who fled before he fired several shots.
He said the corporal then turned back to the fifth location to fire shots at the security post and the flagpole. He was arrested only after he had run out of ammunition.
“While he was firing random shots other PGA members had to take cover to avoid being hit,” Azhar said, adding that investigations only found 73 bullet casings at the scenes.
Azhar said urine test showed he was positive for syabu and he was also believed to have consumed alcohol before the incident.
He said the corporal was remanded until tomorrow and the case was being investigated under Section 506 of the Penal Code and Section 39 of the Firearms Act 1960.
In another case, three men aged 21 to 29 years were arrested and a semi-automatic pistol and two rounds of ammunition and an imitation pistol were seized from them in a house at Taman Bukit Kubu, Kuala Perlis, on Saturday night.
He said the three local men were remanded for seven days from Sunday to Saturday to facilitate investigation. — Bernama
