KEPALA BATAS: A group of men spotted gathering at Kompleks Pasar Bisik Ikan in Kota Kuala Muda, near here, ran helter skelter when police stormed the area early this morning.
In the 3am incident, some of them even jumped into the river adjacent to the complex to evade arrest.
Seberang Prai Utara police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Radzi Ahmad said one of the men who jumped into the river was still missing.
"At 3am today, police from the Kepala Batas police station were conducting a crime prevention round and checking the compliance of the Covid-19 standard operating procedures.
"When the group of men at the complex saw the police, they fled. Some even jumped into the river.
"For now, we can confirm that one person is still missing and believed to have drowned," he said today.
Mohd Radzi said efforts to locate the man were ongoing with the help of the Fire and Rescue Department.
Meanwhile, the Kuala Muda fire and rescue station was alerted to the incident at 5.32am.
Operations officer Mohd Yusni Manshor said a search and rescue mission was activated to look for the missing man.
"The search is currently underway," he said, adding that a control centre has been set up at the location of the incident.
The operation was also assisted by a rescue unit from Butterworth.
