SIBU: A mother and her four children had a traumatic experience when their sundry shop in Sungai Bidut here was robbed by eight men armed with knives and machetes last night.
Sibu police chief Assistant Commissioner Stanley Jonathan Ringgit said in the 7.50pm incident, a man came to the shop on pretext of buying something.
“Suddenly, two more men armed with knives and machetes barged in. They asked all the victims to keep quiet if they didn’t want to get hurt before the suspects grabbed all the cash inside a drawer at the counter.
“After that, another five male suspects entered and ransacked the shop to look for valuables,” he said when contacted today.
He added that the suspects then tied up the shop owner, a woman aged 45, and her four children aged between eight and 24, with cable ties.
“However, the mother managed to free herself before she shouted for help, resulting in the suspects to flee the scene in a Toyota van and silver Proton Saga.
“The closed-circuit television recorder at the premise was also stolen,” he said, adding that the total loss was estimated at RM4,000.
“The case is being investigated under Section 395 and 397 of the Penal Code. We believe that seven of the suspects are Indonesians and one is a local Chinese man based on their dialects.
“Police are also using K9 dogs to help search for leads,” he said.
