Kuala lumpur: A 26-year-old police constable was shot and stabbed during a crime prevention patrol in Simpang Pulai in the early hours of this morning. The suspect remains at large and is believed to be linked to the discovery of a woman's body inside an abandoned car at the scene.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Perak police chief Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin reported that the incident occurred around 1.15 am when a patrol team from the Simpang Pulai police station detected a suspicious vehicle in Taman Desa Pakatan. As the officers attempted to stop the car, the suspect fled, leading to a pursuit that ended in an oil palm plantation.

'A struggle broke out between the suspect and the officer during the attempt to detain him. The suspect seized the officer's service pistol, shot him in the abdomen, and stabbed him before escaping with the firearm,' Noor Hisam said in a statement today. The injured policeman is in stable condition, warded at Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital.

The case is being investigated under Section 302/307 of the Penal Code and Section 3 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971. Police are on a manhunt for the suspect and appeal to members of the public with any information to contact the investigating officer, ASP Fadli Ahmad, at 012-2500019.