Tesco Manager Shot Dead In Robbery

BUTTERWORTH, March 18 (Bernama) -- The manager of Tesco Extra hypermarket in Seberang Jaya was shot dead while two others were injured in a robbery at the Poh Kong goldsmith shop in the hypermarket today.

S. Sathiasillan, 28, was shot in the chest and chin and died on the spot in the 10.15am incident while the hypermarket's retail manager, N. Ilangohvan, 26, and Poh Kong security guard Izat Hafiz Mohamad Saad, 27, were injured.

Penang police chief Datuk Ayub Yaakob said the four masked robbers broke the glass door of the goldsmith shop, which had yet to open, with hammers and escaped with 20 trays of jewellery worth R250,000 from the glass showcases.

After grabbing the jewellery one of the robbers shot the shop's security guard inside the shop before firing at Sathiasillan and Ilangohvan who had just arrived at the shop after being informed of the robbery, he told reporters.

The robber fired six shots from the pistol.

"Police found four empty shells at the scene and the security guard's gun missing," he said.

He said the robbers escaped in a Honda City car and a motorcycle together with two accomplices who were waiting outside the hypermarket.

Five workers who were arranging jewellery at the time were not injured.

"Based on information from the workers, the suspects were locals.

"We will view the closed circuit tv recording at the shop to identify the suspects," he said, adding that police had launched a hunt for the four.