PETALING JAYA: Police arrested a teenager yesterday after a photo of him posing with an object resembling a firearm went viral on social media.
The photo showed the 15-year-old boy standing with the “weapon” next to the window of a condominium block on Jalan Kayu Madang, Kota Kinabalu.
He was arrested by Kota Kinabalu police at the condominium at 5.36pm, Harian Metro reported.
Kota Kinabalu police chief Zaidi Abdullah said his men were alerted to the viral photo after it had been shared in a WhatsApp group.
He said a search of the house found two replica firearms, one resembling an AK47 rifle and the other a pistol.
“The suspect admitted to his actions, at about 9am on March 2, when he mocked using the fake ‘firearm’ to ‘shoot’ at several target objects on the staircase of the condominium,” Zaidi was quoted as saying.
“The suspect also confessed to purchasing the two replica firearms at a store in the city for RM158 and RM54, respectively.”
He added that police also raided the shop, where they seized a number of replica firearms and arrested a 15-year-old boy and a 19-year-old woman working there.
“The arrests and seizures were brought to the Kota Kinabalu district police headquarters for further investigation. The case is being investigated under Section 36 of the Firearms Act 1960,” he said.
