JOHOR BAHRU: Police have remanded nine suspects believed to be secret society members until Sunday to assist in their investigation into the death of a man in a shooting incident at an eatery in Taman Setia Indah here on Jan 8.
Johor police chief Datuk M. Kumar said all nine men, aged between 36 and 66, were arrested in a series of operations around the city centre on March 8 and March 17.
He added that before they arrested the nine men, police had shot dead a 64-year-old man, who was believed to have been involved in the murder case, during a shootout in the first operation.
“At 3.10 am on March 8, we tracked down the 64-year-old man at Taman Molek here. When we tried to arrest him, the suspect fired several shots and, in the ensuing shootout, the suspect was gunned down.
“On the same day, between 5 am and 6 am, six suspects were detained at a house in Jalan Ah Siang, while three more were nabbed between 9.46 am and 1 pm at Jalan Bukit Meldrum on March 17,” he told a media conference at the Johor Contingent Police Headquarters here today.
Kumar said that through the series of raids, police also seized two pistols, an air pistol, several bullets as well as drugs believed to be heroin, adding that police believe revenge could be the motive behind the shooting due to tensions between rival secret societies.
“Our investigations found that the bullets and casings found at the murder case in Taman Setia Indah on Jan 8 matched with one of the firearms seized in the operation,” he said, adding that all nine suspects had drug and criminal records.
The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code, Section 8 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971, Section 36 of the Arms Act 1960 and Section 39A(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
On Jan 8, Kumar was quoted as saying that a 40-year-old man was shot dead from close range, with four shots fired while the victim was eating at a restaurant in Taman Setia Indah, and that the post-mortem result confirmed the cause of his death was due to gunshot wound to the chest.
