Two held over senseless murders

JOHOR BARU: For as little as a few ringgit, two men brutally bludgeoned their hapless victims to death before robbing them.

Their spate of such murders – four in all – in Batu Pahat over two months, and described as “shocking” even by the police, came to an end when they were arrested recently.

Senior Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff said all the victims were men who were between 55 and 76 years old.

“The men would hit their victims on the head with any object they could get their hands on before robbing them,” SDCP Mohd Mokhtar told reporters at the state police headquarters here yesterday.

“The murders are shocking because they stole petty items, such as a few ringgit, watche­s and other cheap items.

“In all the cases, the victims died due to head injuries.”

SDCP Mohd Mokhtar said that due to the seriousness of the crimes, police formed a task force, which managed to nab the men, aged 30 and 35, recently.

The murders, he said, had occurred between November and December.

Police first detained the 30-year-old man at around midnight in Cahaya Masai here. Following this, police raided a seaside home in Kg Makam, Ulu Tiram, at around 2.30pm the same day.

“The second man noticed our officers and tried to jump into the sea,” SDCP Mohd Mokhtar said.

“However, one of our officers dived in after him and managed to catch him, drag him back to shore and arrest him.”

He added that the police also confiscated five mobile phones, an iPad, two pen drives and five memory cards.

SDCP Mohd Mokhtar said both men, who had past criminal records, had been put under remand pending investigation into the case.

“Both men also tested positive for drugs,” he added.

Slain man had a guard dog

GEORGE TOWN: Retired businessman Ang Cheng Hoo, 64, who was slashed to death in Tanjung Bungah on New Year’s Day, used to bring along a Rottweiler when he went for his morning walks.

His family said, however, some strays attacked the dog two months ago and Ang had since gone for the walks alone, carrying only a stick or penknife for protection.

A security guard found his blood-soaked body by the roadside in Jalan Loh Poh Heng at around 6.30am on Wednesday.

The victim had three slash wounds on the neck and another in the abdomen.

He was attacked about 30m from his apartment and the police have ruled out robbery as the motive for his murder.

Near his body was a penknife which police believed was used by Ang’s assailant.

Penang CID chief Senior Asst Comm Mazlan Kesah said they detained a 46-year-old man near the scene several hours after the incident.

The suspect, with a previous criminal record, has been remanded for five days to facilitate investigation.

Ang’s son, who works in a bank and declined to be named, said his father was carrying only a handphone during his New Year’s Day morning walk.

The son, 35, said he and his sister woke up at around 5am and found their father had already left the house, presumably to go for his regular morning walk.

“When he failed to return home after an hour, we called his handphone but did not get an answer.

“We called again later and a stranger picked up the call and told us our father was injured.

“We rushed to the site and saw the police had already arrived,” said the son, adding that his father retired from business some 10 years ago while his mum died nine years back.

The couple had a son and two daughters.

Ang’s remains will be cremated at the Mount Erskine crematorium today.

Mother and son found murdered

Friday January 3, 2014 MYT 8:38:45 AM

JOHOR BARU: The owner of a labour supply agency and his mother were found dead with a knife and a pair of scissors near their blood-soaked bodies at their apartment in Tampoi here.

Victims S. Suba, 40, and S .Patmavathy, 63, had been the only tenants in the unit until recently, when two foreigners who worked with him came to live there temporarily.

Police have ruled out robbery as the motive for the double murder and believe there was a scuffle before the two were killed at their 13th floor unit of the Kipark apartment block.

It has not yet been ascertained when the murders took place but Suba’s brother, S. Raja, 48, said he had been trying to contact them since Monday.

“I found it strange that both my mother and brother did not answer my phone calls,” he said, adding that he was shocked to see the living area splattered with blood when he opened the door of the unit at around 1pm on Wednesday.

Raja said he did not dare enter the house and quickly informed the security guards, who immediately alerted the police.

The bodies of the victims were found in a bedroom.

Raja was too distraught to comment further on the tragedy when met at the Sultan Ismail Hospital mortuary here yesterday.

A family friend accompanying him, Timothy Warren, said two foreigners had been staying at the unit with the victims but he did not know how long they had lived there.

“I also do not know if there was an argument and what could have sparked it,” he said.

Johor deputy police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Ismail Yatim confirmed that nothing was stolen from the victims, adding that the case was being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

Police are looking for two suspects, in their 20s, to help in the investigations.

Police have appealed to witnesses and those with information to contact the Johor police hotline at 07-2212 999 or the nearest police station.

Cops: Dead girl found in apartment unit not raped

PETALING JAYA: A teenager, whose body was found clad in a bra and panties at an apartment unit in Damansara Damai last week, was not raped.

Selangor deputy police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Abd Rahim Jaafar said a post-mortem on victim K. Shanmugavalli (pic), 18, showed no signs of rape.

“We are still investigating the motive behind the murders of the girl and her Indian national boyfriend,” he said when contacted yesterday.

The victims had reportedly died about six days before a debt collector discovered their bodies at the apartment unit on Dec 18.

The man, identified as Mohinder Pal, 24, had seven stab wounds and was found in the living room, while the girl was found on a bed in the master bedroom with five stab wounds in the abdomen.

DCP Abdul Rahim said the cause of their deaths were severe stab wounds that led to severe loss of blood.

“We are not ruling out any possibility on what may have transpired that led to the murders.

“There was no sign of a break-in besides the lock broken by the debt collector. None of the victims’ possessions were missing,” he said.

It is learnt that the girl had been missing from home since Dec 13. Her family had lodged a report at the Puchong police station.

In a separate case, DCP Abdul Rahim said police have detained two remaining members of Gang Sasi, who had been involved in house-break-ins and theft of luxury cars in Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Johor.

They were arrested in Kajang a day after the alleged leader K. Sasitaran, 29, was shot dead.

An Ops Cantas Khas team from Serdang had tracked down Sasitaran and an accomplice, who were in a white Honda Odyssey at about 5.15pm on Dec 18 along Jalan Reko, Kajang.

“We believe their reign of terror has ended,” said DCP Abdul Rahman.

Model found dead in drain

24 November 2013

SEREMBAN: The woman who was found dead in a drain in Taman Seruling Jaya, Labu, here, on Friday has been identified as Cheok Hui Min, a part-time model in Kuala Lumpur.

The 22-year-old, from Ampang, had also participated in a beauty pageant organised by a Chinese daily here earlier this year.

The victim's father, who requested anonymity, said he spoke to his youngest daughter last week.

He said after his divorce, Cheok lived with his ex-wife in Ampang, while he stayed in Lukut, Port Dickson.

"I rushed to Tuanku Jaafar Hospital after police contacted me on Friday. I believe my daughter was killed somewhere else before her body was thrown into the drain.

"The police did not find any identification card and her purse was nowhere to be found at the scene."

Cheok was found in a drain by a couple who were jogging in the area at 7.30am. Based on the bruises on her neck and body, it is believed that she was choked before being thrown into the drain.

Seremban police chief Assistant Commissioner Zainal Abu confirmed the case and said police were waiting for a post-mortem report to determine the cause of death.

Guard dies from injuries after week-long coma

December 12, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR: A security guard, beaten by two Myanmar nationals who had picked mangoes from a tree outside his workplace in Hulu Klang, died after a week-long coma.

Mohd Raini Mohamed Junus, 52, was warde­d at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre after he was knocked unconscious in Jalan Sepadu at about 4.45pm on Dec 5.

He was said to have tried to stop the two foreigners from plucking the fruits from the tree, about 10m from where he worked.

Mohd Raini was unhappy with the two, who would pluck the mangoes in large quantities to sell them.

Accompanied by his nephew Mohd Khasrol Hasnan, 27, he told the duo off. However, the men started beating Mohd Raini and his nephe­w with sticks. Mohd Khasrol suffered a broken left arm but his uncle blacked out.

Mohd Raini died on Tuesday evening.

Brickfields OCPD Deputy Supt Aida Abdul Hamid said: “We have arrested a suspect.”

Victim’s siblings found dead

ALOR STAR (Dec 1, 2013): The two missing siblings of a 14-year-old girl, who was found dead on Saturday, were also found dead this afternoon.

Kedah police chief Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim told reporters that the remains of Nur Izzati Husna, 12, and Puteri Nurul Akma, aged three, were found by a group of anglers near a river at Kampung Padang Tani, Alor Semela at about 4pm.

He dismissed speculations that Noor Syafikah Nadia Rusdi, whose semi-nude body was discovered at a paddy field at Alor Senibong, about 12km from Alor Semela, had been raped and murdered.

"The post-mortem conducted on the teenager revealed no signs of rape or murder and that her death was due to drowning," he said.

Nevertheless, police would investigate the case under Section 302 of the Penal Code, he said.

According to Ahmad, the deaths of Nur Izzati Husna and Puteri Nurul Akma, who were fully clothed when found, could not be due to normal drowning as their bodies were found at separate locations at the river.

He said the post-mortem on them would be conducted as soon as possible.

In the report lodged by their mother, the victims had left their home at Jalan Datuk Kumbar on Friday at around 7.30pm on a motorcycle.

Ahmad said the motorcycle had been located, locked and in good condition at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Gelam bus stand. Police also found a pair of trousers near Nur Izzati's body. –Bernama