By ANDREW SAGAYAM

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - A 23-year-old jilted boyfriend held his beautician girlfriend at gunpoint to win her back in a two-hour hostage drama.

In the incident at Taman Kosas, Ampang, the man arrived at the hair salon, owned by the 35-year-old woman who ended their relationship several weeks back, at about 9.30am.

He waited for her in his car for over an hour before storming into the salon, demanding to speak to her. When she refused, a shouting match broke out and a struggle ensued with the woman being assaulted by the former boyfriend who used to work as a caretaker at the salon.

When two workers tried to stop him, he whipped out a pistol and fired three shots into the ceiling.

The frightened workers fled the double-storey shoplot and called the police using a public phone. In their haste to get out, they left their mobile phones behind.

Ampang Jaya police chief Asst Comm Abdul Jalil Hassan said two police officers contacted the man through the workers' mobile phones.

When the man answered, the officers managed to coax him into surrendering.

'We told him to give himself up as the shoplot was surrounded by police,' he said, adding that the man turned himself in at about 1.30pm.

ACP Abdul Jalil said police seized a German-made Walther P99 semi-automatic pistol from the man.

'He told us that he bought the firearm in Penang for RM20,000 (S$8,206) two days before coming to the city.'

ACP Abdul Jalil said police were investigating the case under Section 3 of the Firearms Act (Heavier Penalties) 1971 which carries the mandatory death sentence.

The man is being detained at the Ampang Jaya district police headquarters for questioning.