Van driver gunned down in Parit Buntar

IPOH: A factory van driver who was leaving his house for work was gunned down at Taman Seri Semarak, Parit Buntar.

N. Jeevandran, 26, was riding his motorcycle along Jalan Permai Utama, minutes away from his house when he was shot twice at about 9.40am yesterday.

He died on the spot after he was shot in the abdomen and right hip.

Kerian OCPD Supt Mat Fauzi Nayan, in confirming the case, said: “We are investigating the case from all angles and will not rule out robbery, revenge or gang-related violence.”

It is learnt that someone from one of the houses heard two gunshots before seeing Jeevandran falling from his motorcycle.

The gunman was not seen and three bullet casings were found near the body.

“The deceased has five previous criminal records. He was also sent to Machang, Kelantan, under the Restricted Residence Enactment until the Emergency Ordinance was abolished in 2011,” said Mat Fauzi.

The victim’s sister N. Kalpana said Jeevandran, who lived with their mother and four other siblings, was a caring and loving brother.

Meanwhile, police arrested a 27-year-old man in connection with the shooting of G. Santhana Samy, 30, who was hit in the thigh while driving in Bukit Mertajam on Monday.

Penang CID chief Senior Asst Comm Mazlan Kesah said the man was picked up on Tuesday evening in Sungai Petani following a tip-off, and had since been remanded.

When asked about gun-related violence in Penang, SAC Mazlan said there had been 16 cases this year that resulted in nine deaths and seven cases of serious injuries.

“We recorded only one or two cases for the same period last year,” he said

Cops gun down ex-EO detainee

BY G. PRAKASH
JULY 31, 2013

Santhana was shot while driving in Bukit Mertajam. KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — At the age of eight, he was hauled up by police and given counselling for juvenile misdemeanors. 

Soon, he led a life of a gangster and got involved in petty crimes such as motorcycle thefts.

Seven years later, at the age of 15, he was spending time in lock-up for petty crimes.

By the time he turned 30, he had been in and out of the Simpang Rengam detention centre five times under the Emergency Ordinance.

Yesterday morning, the career criminal was involved in the 15th shooting incident in recent weeks and ended up being shot dead by the police.

City police chief Datuk Mohmad Salleh said the man, aged 35, was stopped at a roadblock at 2am near Desa Kepong while driving a stolen Toyota Vios.

When a policeman asked him for his identity card, the hardcore criminal whipped out a semi-automatic gun and fired three shots at the policeman.

“Luckily, none of the shots hit the policeman,” Mohmad said. 

The man sped off for at least 50 metres before he stopped and attempted to hijack a parked van.

“The driver of the van, a contractor, was taking a nap by the roadside. The other police officers, who were manning the roadblock, chased and opened fire at the man three times, hitting him in his leg, shoulder and stomach,” Mohmad said.

He collapsed to the ground and was taken to Selayang Hospital where he died at 2.45pm.

Mohmad said the man had 15 criminal records for offences such as robberies, use of firearms, theft and drug-related cases.

The vehicle used by him bore a fake registration number. Checks later revealed the car was stolen in Bukit Mertajam earlier this year.

Police also recovered six ski-masks and a fake pistol in the vehicle.

“Initial investigations reveal  he could have been involved in several house robberies where the victims were tied up while the suspect and his accomplice ransacked the house,” Mohmad said. 

Police are tracking down the man’s accomplices. 

Man shot dead, two friends injured at restaurant

IPOH, July 29 — A man was shot dead and his two friends seriously injured when two gunmen opened fire from inside a car in front of a restaurant in Kampung Simee here last night.

Jasrafveenderjeet Singh, 25, who sustained a gunshot wound in the neck, died while undergoing treatment at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital here.

His friends, Koo Loo Kong, 55, and Sarbjit Singh Harder Singh, 28, who were believed to have been hit by stray bullets in the 10.15pm incident, have been warded at the hospital.

Their condition has been described as serious but stable.

Suddenly, several shots rang out from inside the vehicle, hitting Jasrafveenderjeet, Koo and Sarbjit, he said.Ipoh police chief ACP Sum Chang Keong said Jasrafveenderjeet, who was drinking with the duo at the restaurant, had earlier approached two men who were seated in a car.

“The shots were believed to have been fired at close range, with several stray bullets hitting the deceased's friends,” he said when contacted here today. — Bernama

Temple caretaker found murdered

Saturday June 29

KLUANG: A Hindu temple caretaker was found dead near a temple along Batu 4, Jalan Mengkibol here. His hands and legs were tied and there were stab wounds in his back.

A Subramaniam, 62, was found near a 10m small drain near the temple, by a passer-by at about 8am yesterday.

A resident R. Arumugam, 35, informed the police after he spotted the body while on his way to work.

“I did not dare take a closer look.

“However, I thought that the victim was only injured and still alive,” he said.

He added that the victim had been the caretaker of the temple for about two years.

“I see him in the temple every day and as far as I know, he did not have any enemies and I cannot think of anyone who would want to do this to him,” he said.

Kluang OCPD Asst Comm Abd Majid Mohd Ali, who confirmed the incident, said initial investigations showed that the deceased had died due to stab wounds found on the back of his body.

“The victim had been dead for about four hours before the body was found,” he said.

He added that the cause of death was yet to be confirmed and the post mortem would be conducted today.

He also urged those with any information to contact the police at hotline 07-2212999 or visit the nearest police station.

Murder suspect dies 17 hours after fatal stabbing

Thursday April 18

GEORGE TOWN: Just 17 hours after allegedly stabbing an apartment management board chairman to death, the 60-year-old suspect himself died in hospital while under police custody.

It is learnt that the suspect, said to be an apartment resident with a grudge against the victim over maintenance fees, died at a normal ward of the Penang Hospital at about 1.50am yesterday.

Hospital senior consultant forensic pathologist Datuk Dr Bhupinder Singh said the suspect died due to severe heart disease.

“We are still checking if he overdosed on drugs,” he said.

The suspect's family members refused to talk to reporters when met at the hospital mortuary.

It was reported that the suspect allegedly stabbed Liew Kum Thong, 33, at the garbage disposal area of the Taman Sri Idaman apartment in Bandar Baru Air Itam at around 8.30am on Tuesday.

Investigations showed that the suspect waited for Liew with a 10-inch knife hidden in a sling bag.

Liew tried to escape after the attack but collapsed and died 50m away.

When met at the wake held at the apartment's ground floor, Liew's wife, who only wanted to be known as Fong, said it was hard to describe her emotion upon learning of the suspect's death.

“I'm puzzled why he (the suspect) did that to my husband,” said the 32-year-old housewife.

Asked if the two men had had a quarrel about maintenance fees, Fong said she had no idea but she had heard Liew complaining about the suspect parking his motorcycle indiscriminately and obstructing the way.

George Town deputy OCPD Supt Ismail Toh Paduka Idris said the suspect was warded after he was arrested at the hospital where he had gone to seek treatment for an asthma attack after the incident.

“We have ruled out foul play in the suspect's death. But investigations on the murder will continue,” he said.

Man found stabbed to death in Jalan Imbi

Monday June 17

KUALA LUMPUR: A 54-year-old man was killed in his employer’s car by an unknown attacker in a lane near Berjaya Times Square in Jalan Imbi here.

Police found Wong Fook Lum slumped in the driver’s seat with a stab wound to his chest in the morning incident yesterday.

The car was stalled right in the middle of Jalan 1/77B in the busy shopping district.

Wong, who had dropped his employer at Berjaya Times Square at around 10.50am, was later seen having an argument with a man brandishing a knife at the lane, between the mall and a nearby nightclub.

An ice-cream delivery man told police he spotted the assailant following Wong into the car after the argument.

Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Zainuddin Ahmad said the 33-year-old eye-witness also saw the suspect running towards the back of the nearby Sungai Wang Plaza after alighting from the car.

The suspect was described as being in his 50s and wore a cream-coloured T-shirt and dark coloured slacks.

The suspect was said to be short-haired, slim and about 160cm tall.

Wong’s body has been sent to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for a post mortem.

Hunt for Najadi’s killers

Tuesday July 30

KUALA LUMPUR: Arab Malaysian Bank founder Hussain Ahmad Najadi was walking to his car with his wife as the usual lunch-hour crowd flocked to the stalls along Jalan Ceylon in the heart of the city after negotiating a land deal at the Kuan Yin temple.

The 75-year-old was not to know that three killers were waiting for him. One of them opened fire, hitting him in the chest and lower abdomen. He died on the spot.

His 49-year-old Malaysian wife, Cheong Mei Kuen, was wounded in the arm.

She was rushed to the Tung Shin Hospital in Jalan Pudu before being transferred to the Prince Medical Court in Jalan Tun Razak for surgery.

The assailants fled in a taxi.

Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Zainuddin Ahmad said CCTV footage showed the suspect wearing a long-sleeved chequered shirt and brown khaki pants.

“We believe three men were responsible for the attack.

“They escaped in a Proton Waja taxi,” he said, adding that the three, believed to be between 35 and 40 years old, had waited outside the temple while Najadi was negotiating the deal with his business partners.

“We are not ruling out any possibility,” said ACP Zainuddin, adding that police had begun efforts to identify and track down the trio.

“We are confident the culprits will be brought to justice as soon as possible,” he said.

Najadi’s son Pascal, who spoke to The Star over the phone from Moscow, was shocked by the killing in broad daylight.

“How could this happen in the nation’s capital?

“This is not the Malaysia my father knew and loved, and the whole world will be watching to see how the authorities handle this case,” he said.

A waiter at one of the stalls said he was serving customers at about 1.50pm when the shooting occurred.

“I did not hear any loud sound or notice anything unusual.

“I was busy serving our usual lunch-hour crowd,” said the 45-year-old, who realised there had been a shooting only when police cars drove up with their sirens on.

The shooting in Jalan Ceylon comes on the heels of an attack against MyWatch chairman R. Sri Sanjeevan in Bahau, Negri Sem­bilan.

He was shot by a man on a motorcycle while driving at about 4.30pm on Saturday.

On Sunday, Jasrafveen­deerjeet Singh from Tambun was shot dead outside a restaurant in Ipoh.