SEREMBAN (Malaysia) - IT WAS was a black day for four wanted Indonesian criminals, who dabbled in the black arts for invincibility against weapons and the long arm of the law.

Early on Sunday, the foreigners found their so-called witchery no match for police firepower when they were gunned down near Jalan Seremban, Kualiti Alam, here.

The Indonesians, who were armed with parangs, refused to heed an order to surrender when the police intercepted their car at 6am, following an armed robbery.

Instead, the desperados, who were barefoot, alighted from their car and charged at a group of policemen who shot them.

Their violent end brought to a close a year-long crime spree involving 24 armed robberies in Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Selangor.

Negri Sembilan police chief Datuk Osman Salleh said the dead men did not have identification documents, so police would send their fingerprints to Interpol to facilitate investigations.

He said this would enable Interpol to determine if the fingerprints matched those of seasoned criminals who had operated in Indonesia or elsewhere.

Mr Osman said the Indonesians were fleeing in their Proton Satria from a pursuing police team after committing a robbery in Sendayan when the getaway car was cornered in a quiet area.

Undeterred, the criminals emerged from the car with parangs and attempted to attack the policemen, he said at the state police headquarters here.

'The criminals were dangerous as in most reported robberies, they had injured their victims', he said, adding that a crowbar was also seized from their vehicle which was reported stolen.

Mr Osman said a backpack containing a laptop, digital camera, three cellphones, jewellery and two packets of syabu and Ecstasy pills were seized from the car. -- BERNAMA