KENINGAU, Nov. 6 -- Residents of Kampung Kamansi in Bingkor were jolted from their sleep when armed cattle rustlers struck in the early hours of Thursday.

The 2am incident involved suspected thieves who used a firearm to shoot livestock before fleeing the scene with their haul.

Cattle owner Jeffrisius Sipin said the drama unfolded when his mother was awakened by a loud explosion near the area where their livestock were tethered.

"My mother heard a loud blast at about 2am. After she shouted, the vehicle used by the thieves immediately sped off from the scene," Jeffrisius said when met.

"At first, we did not suspect anything untoward had happened, though we were puzzled by the extremely loud blast at that hour."

An inspection of the ar...