Reported as Marine police in shootout with pirates:
Marine police believe they have crippled an Indonesian pirate gang that has been preying on vessels along the Straits of Malacca after a shootout early Monday morning.
Seven men were arrested, one of whom was shot in the midriff, while three others escaped after a 30-minute chase at Tanjung Gemuk in Sedili at about 3am.
The suspected pirates were armed with pistols, parang (machetes) and even hand grenades. None of the marine police were injured.
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He said the pirates operated by first contacting shipping companies on the pretext of selling fuel. They would then go to sea and rendezvouz with the ships to purportedly begin the fuel transfer. Instead, they would board the ship and hold the crew at gunpoint before robbing them of cash and belongings.
“They leave the vessels and cargo behind,” he said, adding that this time marine police, with the assistance of the shipping companies, were waiting in ambush in Sedili.
“When the pirates arrived in a speedboat, our five-men team tried to flag them down but instead the suspects lobbed three grenades at my team,” Supt Mohd Kamsani said. Only one of the grenades exploded.
Police then fired several shots at the boat’s engine.
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