A territorial struggle between two rival drug groups in Taiping has lead to the murder of a 35-year-old scrap metal dealer.
Perak police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Shukri Dahlan said the victim, V. Kalithasen, believed to be involved with one of the gangs, was hacked to death by three suspects near Simpang on Monday at about 1pm.
"The victim was first rammed off his motorcycle. He fell off the vehicle and ran away while being chased by the three suspects," he said after the state police contingent monthly gathering here on Wednesday.
"He ran into a house before being cornered by the suspects where they slashed and hacked him to death," he said.
"We believe two rival groups are trying to control drug activities in several locations in the district," he said, adding that this was the fourth murder case involving drugs in the district.
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DCP Mohd Shukri said police have set up a special task force, led by state CID chief SAC Datuk Mohd Dzuraidi Ibrahim to oversee investigations into the matter.
"We have already identified these two groups, whose rivalry had started since 2011.
"We believed the masterminds of these groups are residing in neighbouring states," he said, adding that police are still gathering intel and evidence.
State narcotics chief Asst Comm Roslan Abdul Wahid said a spate of arrests involving drug dealers and distributors in the district have left several areas "vacant" with rival groups vying to fill the gap.
"This has lead to the gang members trying to stave off other group from entering the area.
"We know who they are and we will go all out against them," he said.
