MUKAH: Police have arrested a local man for allegedly firing a shot with his homemade air rifle in a public area and without a firearm permit on Saturday (Mar15).
The incident occurred around 4.30 pm when a 57-year-old woman heard two gunshots while setting up a net with her child at a fish pond in Sungai Maban Balingian.
She also spotted a man holding a firearm before she fled the area with her child for safety. A police report was later lodged.
Mukah police chief DSP Muhamad Rizal Alias said acting on the report, the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) raided a longhouse in Sungai Maban Balingian and arrested the 56-year-old suspect around 1 am.
“Also seized from him was a homemade air rifle, 15 marbles used as bullets, and a bottle containing fuel believed to be spirit.
“The suspect and the seized items were taken to the Mukah district police headquarters (IPD) for further action,” he said.
Rizal added that the suspect has been remanded for four days until Mar 20 to assist in investigations.
The case is being investigated under Section 8(a) and Section 39 of the Arms Act 1960 for possessing a firearm without an arms licence or permit and discharging a firearm in public.
Illegal possession of a firearm carries a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to RM10,000, or both, upon conviction.
Meanwhile, discharging a firearm in public is punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both.
