The gruesome murder that took place at a petrol station in Johor Baru on Sunday night was due to a dispute between two underworld gangs, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed.
- Savage murder due to drug dispute between two underworld gangs
- Victim a top leader of a triad group
- Four suspects identified
- Manhunt for killers
- Triad war retaliation possibly in the making
- Victim had 13 previous drug records, died of stab wound to the heart
- Deceased believed to have owed payment to drug suppliers, avoided suspects, tarnished their name
- Nursing a grudge, killers made no attempt to hide identities, possibly to send strong message
- BMW repossessed a few months ago
- Repossessor possibly did not declare seizing the car to the bank
- Suggestion of links to car clone syndicates
- Victim said to have price on his head
- Body will be placed at Nirvana Memorial Park (Kulai) for several days before burial
Zahid said the police have identified the victim and the four suspects involved as being from two different triad groups.
He added that the 44-year-old victim, Tan Ah Choy, also known as Ah Chiu, was one of the top leaders of one of the gangs.
“We are confident the incident was caused by a dispute between the two gangs. The police have identified the four assailants, and they will not get away with this. A manhunt has been launched to nab the suspects,” he told a press conference here today.
Police are also in the midst of determining the areas in which these two gangs are operating and whether they were competing for business or territory.
Ahmad Zahid said he expected the gang of the murdered man to retaliate following the incident, but maintained that the police were prepared for any eventualities.
“Normally, you can expect the other group to take revenge, that’s their culture. But the police are always ready and serious about tracking members of the two groups down,” Zahid said.
The horrific attack, which happened at 7.30pm, was recorded and went viral after it was uploaded on Facebook.
In the incident, Tan had stopped at the petrol station to inflate the tyres of his white Volkswagen Polo when the suspects, who arrived in a white BMW 520d, immediately approached and savagely attacked him, threw firecrackers at him and ran over him with their car twice.
In the video footage of the attack, it seems as if the assailants had tried to bundle Tan into their car but failed to do so as he put up a fight. Following a struggle, one of the suspects stabbed him in the chest, causing him to collapse to the ground.
The victim died at the scene. After a four-hour post-mortem, the cause of death was confirmed to be a stab wound to the heart.
Tan had 13 previous drug records.
“Initial investigation suggests the victim was involved in drugs, and the suspects are believed to his suppliers,” a police source told the Malay Mail.
“The dispute between them started when the victim was unable to pay for the supplies he had taken from the syndicate members over several months.”
The source said the suspects became enraged when Tan started avoiding the suspects and also tarnished their name among underworld gangs.
“The fact that the victim was murdered in public by being stabbed and run over by a car twice, clearly shows the suspects had a grudge.
“The suspects made no effort to hide their identities…they probably wanted to send a strong message,” the source reportedly said.
Johor police chief Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd said the attackers, believed to be in their 20s, were identified via visual images after videos of the murder captured by onlookers went viral on social media.
“Apart from the images, we got the lead on the suspects after tracking the registration number of their BMW,” the source said.
The BMW car owner’s address was given as located in Shah Alam, Selangor, according to its listing on the Royal Malaysian Police’s Pintar Enhanced Mobile Management System, but the owner is believed to be from Perak.
“The owner of the car, a man aged 55 from Ipoh, had lodged a report at the Bercham police station yesterday morning, saying his car was repossessed a few months ago after he failed to pay the instalments,” the source was quoted saying.
The car owner told police he was not in Johor at the time of the incident.
The source said checks on the vehicle confirmed it was on the repossessors list.
“Our investigation suggests whoever repossessed the car did not declare it to the bank,” the source reportedly said, adding the vehicle could have been taken over by a car cloning syndicate.
According to the source, police believe the four suspects have links to car clone syndicates and the underworld.
Meanwhile, the Chinese media reported that there was a price on the head of the man – a reward of RM23,888 for information on him and a reward of RM32,888 if he was brought in.
Over at the Hospital Sultan Ismail mortuary, Tan’s grieving partner could not hold back her tears after seeing the deceased’s body in a coffin, sobbing quietly on a female companion’s shoulder.
Asked if she was Ah Chiu’s wife, the woman, clearly distraught, only nodded and turned away, covering her face. Her companion then said that they did not want to speak to the press.
After claiming the remains, the woman leaned on the coffin in the hearse.
It was learned that Tan’s body will be placed at Nirvana Memorial Park (Kulai) along Jalan Skudai-Gelang Patah for a few days before burial.
Those with information on the case are urged to call the state police hotline at 07-221 2999 or head to the nearest police station.
Earlier reports:
Dec 18, JB Petrol Station Murder: Body Claimed, Car Plate Possibly Forged
Dec 18, Police Refute Rumours of Arrests over Johor Petrol Station Murder