T

he Malang Police apprehended on Thursday a gang of assailants who allegedly committed a series of robberies at 28 minimarts across Malang regency, Malang city, Batu city, Pasuruan and Blitar in East Java.

Four suspects were killed in a shoot-out between gang members and the police on Thursday, while another suspect remained at large.

'€œThis is the result of a joint operation between the Malang Police and the East Java Police. We assigned team members to watch minimarts in this area [Malang regency],'€ Malang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Aris Haryanto told The Jakarta Post over the phone late on Thursday.

He said the police were forced to shoot the suspects because they refused arrest and attempted to shoot police officers.

The suspects who were killed were identified as Rudi Hermawanto, 28, Nurkholik, 31, Agus Habibi, 26, and Nurwahyudi, 30. They were residents of Tumpang and Bululawang districts in Malang regency.

Aris said the police had earlier arrested two suspects, identified as FN and MN, who leaked information about two robberies planned to take place in the regency at dawn on Thursday.

Wearing helmets and masks, two gang members approached an Indomaret on Jl. Ngijo in Karangploso district at 2:30 a.m. and pointed handmade firearms at cashiers Andi Setyawan and Zakaria Sukul.

Shortly after threatening the cashiers, the perpetrators learned about the presence of a police officer in civilian attire inside the store and panicked. The suspects engaged in a gunfight with police officers as they attempted to flee the scene.

The plainclothes officer shot down one of the suspects at the scene, while the other was shot around 10 kilometers from the store.

Meanwhile, two other suspects were shot at another Indomaret in Tumpang district.

Separately in Batam, Riau Islands, two armed men robbed a gold jewelry shop at the SP Plaza shopping center in Sagulung district on Wednesday evening.

According to witnesses, one of the assailants pointed a gun at shopkeepers, while the other fired shots at the ceiling, frightening shoppers who promptly took cover. The suspects later shot open a display case and snatched gold jewelry.

Barelang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Asep Safrudin said the police were still gathering information from seven witnesses.

'€œWe can'€™t see the perpetrators'€™ faces clearly on the CCTV footage. We haven'€™t found the projectiles either, so we cannot conclude what type of firearms [were used],'€ he said.

Asep said that according to the shop owner, the robbers got away with 200 grams of gold jewelry.