KLUANG: Seven men were arrested for hunting with unlicensed firearms at a forest in Kampung Baru Dalam, here, on Saturday.
The men, aged between 34 and 39, were believed to be commandos from the Army Warfare Training Centre at Terendak Camp in Sungai Udang, Melaka.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner Bahrin Mohd Noh confirmed that the arrests were made, adding that several shotguns were seized.
He said a statement will be released.
Meanwhile, state Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) director Aminuddin Amin when contacted said the men were arrested during a joint operation conducted by Perhilitan enforcement officers from their headquarters and General Operations Force (GOF) policemen.
He added that a police report was lodged on Sunday by a Perhilitan officer.
It is learnt the men had made their way into the forest in a four-wheel-drive truck registered to the armed forces.
During inspection, the enforcement officers found a deer and 12 jungle fowl in the truck, all of which were believed to have been shot by the men.
It is also learnt that three shotguns and 18 rounds of ammunition were stored behind the truck's seats.
The men were arrested when they failed to produce valid licences for the firearms.
Claims by a whistleblower site that the shotguns were purchased by one of the men while on duty in Lebanon during a United Nations peacekeeping mission in 2020 could not be verified.
An armed forces source confirmed that the men arrested were commandos.
The source said they were remanded to facilitate investigations under Section 7(1) Firearms Act (Increased Penalties) 1971.