General Operations Force southeast brigade commander Ahmad Radzi Hussain said the raid was carried out at 6.45pm under Ops Bersepadu Khazanah, involving the 8th battalion, the Kelantan forestry department, and the wildlife and national parks department.

He said the operation was conducted following intelligence on activities involving the storage of protected wildlife parts, Bernama reported.

“During the inspection of the house, five firearms of various types were discovered,” he said in a statement today.

Radzi said the suspect was detained to assist investigations for offences related to the Firearms Act. The seized items were taken to the Gua Musang district police headquarters for further action.

Meanwhile, police are looking for five suspected cow thieves believed involved in the shooting of a man in Ladang Kemahang, Tanah Merah, early yesterday.

Tanah Merah police chief Haki Hasbullah said the shooting occurred at about 2.30 am, when a salesman and his friends, who were patrolling the area looking for cow thieves, came across a group of about five men, both foreign and local.

“The suspects were then believed to have fired a few shots from close range at the salesman and his friends,” he said.

The salesman and his friends ran away to save themselves.

However, one of the salesman’s friends, Khairul Amri Ab Kadir, 43, was hit in the chin and was taken to Tanah Merah Hospital for further treatment.

Khairul’s motorcycle was also stolen by a suspect, believed to be local during the shooting, he said.

Cow thefts had been reported in the area before as many livestock are left to roam freely by residents.

The thieves are known to use tranqullisers on the cows before transferring them in vehicles to be sold or slaughtered elsewhere.