JOHOR BARU, MALAYSIA: Four of the five robbers shot dead minutes after a robbery had time to raid their victim's kitchen and enjoy the food there.

During the one-hour robbery, the men took turns to feast on chicken rice, chocolate cake and ice cream at the home of Syahrin Md Jamaludin, Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's political secretary.

The incident occurred around 2am in Kampung Sinaran Baru, Skudai, yesterday.

Syahrin's wife Huzaimah Yahya, 33, who was tied up during the robbery, said two of the criminals ransacked her home looking for valuables while two others raided the fridge and opened pots and pans in the kitchen looking for food.

Huzaimah, an assistant registrar at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said she was even made to teach the robbers how to use the remote control for the two cars at her home.

"I'm grateful my three children, who were sleeping, and I were not harmed during the robbery. I even asked the robbers not to make noise as I was worried about them waking up my children," she said.

After ransacking the house, the robbers, including the fifth man who was believed to have waited outside the house, fled in one of the cars stolen from Syahrin's house, a Proton Waja, around 3.10am.

Syahrin, 33, who was in Putrajaya, rushed back to Johor Baru after learning of the incident and praised police for their swift action.

He added that his house was broken into two years ago as well.

Johor police chief Dept Comm Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff said police spotted the five suspects around 3.45am in the victim's car on a slip road in Kempas leading to the Pasir Gudang highway.

DCP Mohd Mokhtar said despite police ordering the suspects to stop, they rammed the back of a police vehicle and attempted to run away on foot.

Suddenly, they turned back to attack the police with a gun and parangs, and police were forced to open fire to defend themselves, he said, adding that all five suspects, in their 20s, died at the scene. The suspects also had no valid travel documents.

DCP Mohd Mokhtar said police recovered a pistol, three bullets, three parangs, two knives, three screwdrivers, a cutter and goods stolen from the victims house.

"We also raided two homes believed to be where the suspects lived, in Kampung Semangat in Tampoi and Taman Mawar in Pasir Gudang," he said, adding that four men and three women, aged between 20 and 48, were also arrested.

DCP Mohd Mokhtar said police believe the five suspects, from Gang Bonding, were involved in 22 violent robberies in Kota Tinggi, Simpang Renggam and Johor Baru.

They usually tied up their victims, ransacked homes and sometimes even raped their victims, he said, adding that several victims had also been injured.

Police were also investigating if the same group was involved in the robbery at Johor Baru (South) OCPD Asst Comm Zainuddin Yaakob's home on April 30.

--The Star/ Asia News Network