A ‘Datuk’, who received the title from a neighbouring country, and 35 members of the notorious Gang 04 were brought to the Ipoh Sessions Court this morning amidst heavy police presence.
- 10 already serving time in prison
- Cash, jewellery, property and vehicles worth RM4.54m seized
- Wanted for murder, robbery, arson, drug trafficking
- Involved in the fatal shooting of a Datin in Taman OUG in 2016
The gang members arrived at 9am in five vehicles and were quickly ushered to the court lock-up.
A large crowd, believed to be family members of the suspects, gathered outside the court after they were prohibited from entering the premises.
The suspects, all men aged between 20 and 60 years, were arrested during a special operation called Ops Cantas Silver on Jan 27.
Perak police chief Datuk Hasnan Hassan said 26 of them were picked up in Perak, Selangor, Melaka and Johor, while 10 others were arrested in a special operation while in prisons in Pokok Sena, Kedah; Batu Gajah and Taiping in Perak; and Sungai Udang, Melaka.
“Police also seized various items, including cash, jewellery, property and vehicles worth RM4.54 million.
“The operation was conducted by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Bukit Aman CID and Inspector General of Police’s Anti-Money Laundering Investigation team.
“The operation was carried out following a series of serious criminal activities, including murder, theft, arson and drug trafficking. The group has been active for the last 10 years,” he said in a press conference yesterday.
The suspects are implicated in a slew of crimes like robbery and drug distribution as well as the high-profile murder of a Datin in Taman OUG, Kuala Lumpur, on July 6, 2016.
Hasnan said besides killing the Datin and causing injury to her eight-year-old daughter, the gang members were also involved in a murder in Bagan Datuk, burning of a house in Sungai Siput and two shooting cases in Ipoh.
“They are currently remanded for 28 days, beginning Jan 27 and investigated under Section 4(5) of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA),” he said.
The gang members were charged under Section 130V/W of the Penal Code for being members of and assisting an organised criminal group.
Hasnan said under this section not all of them would be granted bail, and upon conviction, they were liable for maximum 20 years’ jail.
“We are still tracking down another 10 members of this group who are on the loose. We are also working closely with Interpol to track them down should they escaped to a foreign country,” he added.
The Gang 04 members are also being investigated under Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) 2001.
Sixteen of the suspects were represented by counsel, while the remaining 20 were unrepresented in court.
The accused represented by lawyers are Mohamed Shariff Mohamed Ibrahim, Muhamed Sidik Mohamed Ibrahim, M Perbakaran, R Sargunan, B Murli, M Ganesan, N Michael Raj, Abdul Rahman Subbaiah Salim, M Selva, S Jesudass, K Kartikkesan, S Kevin, P Jeventhyren, L Tamil Selven, S Kalidas and K Arun.
Those unrepresented were A Kughan, J Thruselvam, K Thiruchelvan, K Kugan, A Samuel Dhinakaran, K Sattiyarao, S Vijendran, B Chandran, T Kavitheian, C Tinabalan, K Selvam, T Kamal, S Thatchana Moorthy, M Munian, R Kesavan, P Fatri, F Niclos, S Jagathesan, R Paramesh Rao and A Govalsamy.
The court offered no bail to all accused, while no plea was recorded by the suspects in front of judge Murtazadi Amran.
The judge set March 20 for mention of the cases and the application for the cases to be heard in the High Court.
Related report: Nov 14, Datuk Among 18 Gang Members Detained in Penang