Man wanted for firearms offence arrested in Penang after 38 years on the run

Seow Lam Seng, who was allegedly found to be in unlawful possession of a firearm, was caught in Penang last Thursday (Mar 22) by the Royal Malaysia Police and extradited to Singapore on Saturday.

The police said in a statement on Sunday that Seow's crimes date back to Oct 3, 1980 when two police officers conducted a check on him and Lee Ah Fatt along Tanjong Katong Road as they were behaving suspiciously.

Seow was allegedly found in possession of a pistol.

Lee had allegedly drawn his pistol from his back trouser pocket and pointed it at the officers, resulting in one of them drawing his service revolver to shoot at him.

Despite being shot, Lee was believed to have continued to struggle with the police officers.

Seow managed to flee from the scene during the commotion.

Lee succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

The police said that they have regularly reviewed the case in attempts to locate Seow.

They finally managed to nab him with the help of the Malaysian police and had him extradited to Singapore.

He will be charged in court for the unlawful possession of a firearm.

If convicted of the offence, he may be sentenced to life imprisonment.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigations & Intelligence) and Director of the Criminal Investigation Department Tan Chye Hee on Sunday expressed his gratitude to the Royal Malaysia Police for their efforts to locate and arrest Seow.

"The arrest and extradition of the suspect after 38 years on the run would not be possible without the strong support from the Royal Malaysia Police, our closest crime-fighting partner," he said.

"The Singapore Police Force will continue to work closely with other law enforcement agencies to track down criminals, and ensure that they are brought to justice and face the full brunt of the law."