Two night market stalls were damaged by a tree that uprooted after heavy rain at the Taman Semarak night market location this afternoon.
Nilai Fire and Rescue Station Senior officer ll, Raihan Che Mat said the 30m high and 40 to 50 centimetre-wide tree crashed onto a vegetable and fruit stall. “The station received a report about the incident at 6.54pm. The action by the Pantas Nilai squad helped to clear the debris and clean up the area,” he said in a statement here today. Meanwhile, Nilai state aasemblyman J. Arul Kumar said heavy rain had also caused flash floods at the night market area. He added that the Seremban City Council (MBS) has been directed to identify areas that require assistance and to rectify the problems quickly. The Perak Royal Malaysian Customs Department seized 23,121 kilogrammes (kg) of frozen suckling pig meat estimated to be worth RM1,040,472 in a raid in Port Klang on May 9.
Its director Datuk Abdul Ghafar Mohamad said the 12pm raid involved the seizure of a container from Vietnam, which was declared to contain ‘frozen mixed vegetables’ on Customs Form 1. “Upon inspection of the container, we found frozen suckling pig meat, which did not match the declaration on Customs Form 1,” he told a press conference here today. Abdul Ghafar said further inspection revealed that none of the boxes containing frozen suckling pig meat had valid stickers from the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (MAQIS). “It is also found that the importer did not possess the necessary valid permits from MAQIS and the Veterinary Services Department to import the meat into Malaysia,” he said, adding that the case was being investigated under Section 133of the Customs Act 1967. In JB, five alleged members of the Bala Gang sex ring claim trial to human trafficking charge5/15/2024 Five alleged members of the Bala Gang criminal syndicate, including four Indian nationals, claimed trial at the Sessions Court here today to four charges of trafficking six Indian women since December last year.
The accused, S. Bala Muraly, 46, along with two Indian men, Thiruneelakandan Kasinathan, 39, and Sahayaraj Raju, 41, as well as two Indian women Nithyarettamary Yesurajan, 39, and Karpagavali Jeyakumar, 24, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out in English and Tamil. The case was tried separately before Judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail and Judge Fatimah Zahari. According to the charge sheet, the accused were said to have trafficked six Indian women, between the ages of 23 and 38, for the purpose of sexual exploitation by way of threat, force or coercion. The alleged act was carried out at D’ Secret Garden condominium, Jalan Kempas Indah and at Tune Hotel, Danga Bay, both here, between December 24 and April 24. The charges were made in accordance with Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007 which was read together with Section 34 of the same Act. If convicted, the accused can be sentenced to imprisonment not exceeding 20 years and can also be fined. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor R. Kodesviary, while Bala Muraly and Sahayaraj Raju were represented by defense counsel Mohd Fazaly Mohd Ghazali. Kodesviary did not offer any bail for the accused, but suggested a sum of RM50,000 against Bala Muraly for each charge if the court used its discretion to grant bail. No offer of bail was offered to the foreign accused. Mohd Fazaly appealed for minimum bail to be imposed on his client, who is the manager of a plastic manufacturing factory, as he is his family’s sole source of income. The accused also has three children, aged seven to 13. Ahmad Kamal and Fatimah allowed the accused bail at RM8,000 with a local surety for each charge, as well as the additional condition of surrendering his passport to the court and to report to the nearest police station every two weeks. Meanwhile, Fatimah in her chambers also allowed Sahayaraj Raju bail at RM30,000 with a local surety. The accused will also have to surrender his passport to the court and report to the nearest police station every two weeks. The court set June 25 for mention and submission of documents. The foreign accused were also ordered to appoint a lawyer for the case. Earlier, Nithyarettamary and Karpagavali claimed trial in the Magistrates’ Court here to a charge of overstaying in the country after the expiry of their passports. Both women committed the offence at Blok B of the Country Garden Apartment, Jalan Persiaran Aliff Harmoni Utama here in violation of Section 15 (1) (C) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. Karpagavali was sentenced to five months’ imprisonment from the date of her arrest on April 19, while Nithyarettamary was ordered to pay a fine of RM10,000, failing which she will face a 12-month imprisonment. Earlier, it was reported that police had apprehended eight suspects, including the local mastermind, of a syndicate involved in human trafficking for sexual exploitation. Johor police chief M. Kumar said members of the criminal syndicate, identified as the Bala Gang, were arrested in five separate raids in Johor Baru and Kulai, between April 21 and May 1. He said police also rescued 13 foreign women, aged between 22 and 49, from the syndicate that was believed to be active in sex work activities. The Immigration Department detained 55 illegal immigrants, among them a child, during raids conducted at 27 different locations, including a prominent supermarket, around Seremban and Nilai on Monday and yesterday.
Negeri Sembilan Immigration director Kennith Tan Ai Kiang said the detainees, aged between one and 51, comprised 23 Indonesian men and seven women, six Myanmar men, 11 Bangladeshi men, two Pakistani men, as well as two Vietnamese men, three Vietnamese women, and a Vietnamese girl. “They were arrested for various offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963. “During the operation at one of the locations, five Indonesian men attempted to flee upon realising the presence of immigration officers. However, all were successfully apprehended by the raiding team,” he said in a statement today. He added that all detainees were subsequently sent to the Lenggeng Immigration Depot, and 12 witness summonses were issued to employers or premises guardians to appear at the immigration office to assist in the investigation. Police arrested a man who was involved in a road accident that seriously injured national kayaker Siti Nurul Masyitah Elias along the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) here last Saturday.
It was learnt that the suspect, who is in his 30s, was arrested the next day following the accident. Johor Baru South police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat said a breathalyser test found the man to be over the limit for alcohol consumption while a urine analysis did not show traces of narcotics use. The man has seven outstanding traffic summonses, but no criminal records, he added. “On the day of the accident, the suspect who was driving a red Toyota Vios, had rear-ended the victim’s motorcycle along Kilometre 3.5 of the EDL towards Kota Tinggi at 4.30pm. “Initial investigations revealed that the suspect had collided into the victim’s motorcycle after he suddenly changed lanes from the middle to the left. “The collision resulted in the 22-year-old victim suffering a fractured right shoulder, hip bone and leg injuries. “However, the suspect managed to escape from any injuries,” said Raub in a statement today. He was providing updates to the investigation of the accident that involved national athlete Siti Nurul Masyitah who sustained serious injuries after she fell and was dragged with her motorcycle along the highway. Raub said the athlete is currently being treated at the Colombia Asia Hospital in Iskandar Puteri. He said the suspect was released on police bail 24 hours after his arrest. “The case is being investigated under Section 44 of the Road Transport Act 1987 for driving under the influence of alcohol and causing injury. “Those found guilty could face imprisonment not exceeding 10 years and a maximum fine of up to RM50,000,” he said. Raub also appealed to eyewitnesses of the accident to come forward to the Johor Baru South district traffic police headquarters here or to contact investigating officer Inspector Kelly Lee Ya Yek at 014 6977122. Earlier, it was reported that Siti Nurul Masyitah was seriously injured after falling off her motorcycle and dragged for 600 metres after a car rammed into her from behind. She is currently pursuing a mechanical engineering diploma at the Ibrahim Sultan Polytechnic in Pasir Gudang. The report said there was a dashcam recording of the incident that showed the suspect driving recklessly before hitting Siti Nurul Masyitah. Siti Nurul Masyitah is a 2023 SEA Games bronze medallist. Police arrested another man yesterday on suspicion of being involved in the petrol bomb attack at an entertainment centre here on Thursday (May 9) morning.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said the arrest of the 28-year-old takes the total number of people detained so far to five. “The man has been remanded for four days from today and police will also seek to extend the remand order, which ends tomorrow, for the four other men arrested earlier, aged between 25 and 28,” he said in a statement today. Rusdi said all those arrested will be investigated under Section 435 of the Penal Code for committing mischief by fire or any explosive substance and Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation. On Thursday (May 9), a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage of the incident went viral on social media. The clips show four men on motorcycles throwing petrol bombs at the entertainment centre in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng. On Friday (May 10), Rusdi said that police had recorded the statements from the premises owner and the entertainment centre manager to assist in the investigation. A 54-year-old man was spared the gallows today after the Federal Court commuted his death sentence for the 2013 murders of his wife and two children in Sibu to 40 years in prison.
A three-member panel made the unanimous decision after accepting an application by lawyer Lau Le Bin, representing Jacob Tiang Lee Yee, in accordance with Section 3(1) of the Revision of Sentence of Death and Imprisonment for Natural Life (Temporary Jurisdiction of the Federal Court) Act 2023. The panel comprised Justices Datuk Rhodzariah Bujang, Datuk Nordin Hassan and Datuk Hanipah Farikullah. Tiang was sentenced to death on December 17, 2014 after he was found guilty of murdering wife Ling Yung Ming, 40, daughter Christine, 14, and son Victor, 2, at the family’s house in Pulau Li Hua between 6.20am and 9.50am on July 5, 2013. Based on past news reports, Tiang committed the murders as he owed moneylenders millions of ringgit. On August 16, 2016, the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction and death sentence imposed by the High Court. On September 19 last year, Tiang filed a Notice of Motion to the Federal Court to request for his death sentence to be commuted to imprisonment. DPP Datin Asmah Musa appeared for the prosecution. A police officer, DSP Mohd Nazri Abdul Razak, pleaded not guilty in the High Court here today to a charge of murdering a Form Five student in a road crash near a school here last year.
Mohd Nazri, 46, was charged with murdering Muhammad Zaharif Affendi Muhd Zamrie, 17, at Jalan Taman Jati 1, near Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Jati, Ipoh, between 12.05pm and 12.40pm on December 15, 2023. The charge was framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which provides a death sentence or imprisonment for a minimum of 30 years or a maximum of 40 years and if not sentenced to death must be whipped with not less than 12 lashes, if found guilty. Judge Bhupindar Singh Gurcharan Singh Preet set the hearing for 30 days, from November 4 to January 17 next year. He also set July 1 for mention for the submission of documents. Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz informed the court that the prosecution needed one month to submit the documents and would call 60 witnesses to testify. “The prosecution needs time to finalise the list of witnesses and documents to hand over to the lawyer. We need to examine the documents because this case involves 60 witnesses and experts,” he said. Afzainizam is assisted by deputy public prosecutors Saiful Akmal Mod Said and Nasrul Hadi Abdul Ghani. Lawyer Jacky Loi Yap Loong, assisted by lawyers Lim Chi Chau and M. Kuhan, representing Mohd Nazri, told the court that they had filed a notice regarding the bail application for their client. However, the prosecution said they did not receive an affidavit regarding the notice. Judge Bhupindar Singh then ordered both parties to settle the exchange of affidavits before he decided on the bail application. Also present are lawyers Yasmin Khalid and Amira Najwafitri Amir Arif, who were holding a watching brief for the victim’s family. The Region Two Marine Police Force (PPM) crippled a fake alcoholic beverage processing and storage facility near Pontian yesterday.
The raiding team also seized RM508,265 worth of the counterfeit beverages during the 1am raid at the facility in Kampung Batu 34, Jalan Johor. Johor police chief M. Kumar said the raiding team also apprehended four male foreigners who are believed to be workers of the premises. “The suspects, aged between 27 and 42, were found without identification documents. “Based on initial investigations, police found 187 boxes of liquor and three plastic barrels filled with alcoholic liquid that were believed to be fake. “The raiding team also found equipment for processing and filling liquor, including bottling machines, pumps with hoses, sticker labels of a liquor brand and two boxes of bottle caps with the Malaysian Customs Department 'duty paid' stickers," said Kumar in a statement today. The raid was carried out by the Region Two PPM intelligence unit based on public information and reconnaissance activities. Kumar said a total of 1,683L of alcohol and a Toyota Estima multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) were seized in the raid. The state’s top cop said the case was being investigated under Section 3(1) Law Reform (Eradication of Illicit Samsu) Act 1976 and Section 6(1)(C) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. “The police will continue to monitor and enforce activities related to the sale of untaxed alcohol and the processing of artificial liquor. “The police also appeal to the public to channel any information they have on illegal activities to the authorities in an effort to uphold public order and safety,” he said. Thirteen foreign women aged between 22 and 49 were rescued from several prostitution dens in the Johor state capital and Kulai recently, Johor police chief M. Kumar announced today.
He said eight people were arrested by the Johor Baru North Criminal Investigation Department’s anti-vice, gambling and secret societies division (D7) during an operation on several rental houses carried out between April 21 and May 1. “Police also apprehended five men and three women, consisting of locals and foreigners, aged between 24 and 50, during the raids. “Among those arrested was the syndicate’s mastermind, while the other suspects were the premises caretaker, transporters and three women,” he told a news conference at the state police headquarters here. He added that the case was investigated under Section 12 of the Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007, Section 12(1)(f) of the Passport Act 1966 and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. Kumar said investigators also seized 24 foreign passports, 13 mobile phones, 41 condoms, four keys, four access cards, RM8,730 in cash, a customer notebook and a Proton Exora car during the raids. Investigators believe the foreign women had been tricked into coming to work in Malaysia as domestic workers or factory operators as they had entered the country with proper immigration documents and legal agents, but were then “sold to the syndicates for between RM7,000 and RM10,000 per person”. “Those forced into the illicit trade are believed to serve from 30 to 35 customers a day,” he said. He added that investigations so far showed most of the “customers” were foreign men who paid between RM100 and RM200 for a session, and RM300 for a whole night. “After being sold to the syndicates, the victims were closely guarded to avoid their escape. “The syndicate members will keep the victims’ mobile phones and passports to avoid outside communication. “If any of the victims wanted to opt out, they needed to pay RM11,000 each to secure their release,” he said. Kumar said checks with the foreign women forced into prostitution had not been paid their promised salary of RM2,300 a month. He said the prostitution syndicate is believed to be run by a Malaysian man. “The syndicate has been active in the state since last November,” he said. Kumar said the rescued foreign women have been placed in temporary shelters for 21 days and their respective embassies have been notified. |
JUSTCLICK & CONNECT
|