BANTING, Oct 15 — Two men pleaded guilty today to disposing of evidence in the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others at the Banting Magistrate’s Court here today.
Odd-job worker U. Suresh, 26, and mechanic K. Sarawanan, 19, pleaded guilty to four counts of causing the disappearance of evidence of an offence committed, under Section 201 of the Penal Code.
Sarawanan admitted to burning the bodies of Sosilawati and her companions, while Suresh said he had scattered the ashes in Sungai Panchau near here between 8.45pm and 9.30pm on August 30.
Both were believed to have been working at the time for main suspect lawyer N. Pathmanabhan, who has been accused of masterminding the murders.
Magistrate Hurman Hussain sentenced both Suresh and Sarawanan to the maximum allowable seven years imprisonment for each count of disposing evidence, with sentences to run concurrently.
M. Puravelan, Muhammad Naguib Abdul Malik and Roslie Sulie represented the two accused at Telok Datok Magistrate Court here.
The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutors Ishak Mohd Yusoff, Saiful Edris Zainudin and Idham Abd Ghani.
Suresh and Sarawanan are the first of the nine suspects from the Sosilawati case to be convicted.
The conviction of the two men will likely strengthen the prosecution’s case against four other men charged earlier with murdering Sosilawati and her three companions.
Lawyer N. Pathmanabhan and three others were charged on Wednesday for the murders.
The charred remains of the four victims were found at a poultry farm in Tanjung Sepat a month ago.
Police believe the victims were killed before their bodies were cremated and disposed of at the farm.
Besides Pathmanaban, 41, the other three accused of the murders are T. Thilailayagan, 19, R. Matan, 20, and R. Kathavarayan, 30. They are believed to be Pathmanaban’s employees.
They are accused of committing the murders between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on August 30.
They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code before magistrate Hurman Hussain at 9am.
All four men were charged with the murders of Sosilawati, 47, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32 and CIMB Bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, all of whom went missing a month ago.
Pathmanabhan and his brother, who is also a lawyer, had been implicated in the murder and disappearance of several others.
The accused are also being probed for the murders and disappearance of several others including Indian millionaire A. Muthuraja, 34, local businessmen Mohd Shafiq Abdullah, 37 and 44-year-old housewife T. Selvi.
Odd-job worker U. Suresh, 26, and mechanic K. Sarawanan, 19, pleaded guilty to four counts of causing the disappearance of evidence of an offence committed, under Section 201 of the Penal Code.
Sarawanan admitted to burning the bodies of Sosilawati and her companions, while Suresh said he had scattered the ashes in Sungai Panchau near here between 8.45pm and 9.30pm on August 30.
Both were believed to have been working at the time for main suspect lawyer N. Pathmanabhan, who has been accused of masterminding the murders.
Magistrate Hurman Hussain sentenced both Suresh and Sarawanan to the maximum allowable seven years imprisonment for each count of disposing evidence, with sentences to run concurrently.
M. Puravelan, Muhammad Naguib Abdul Malik and Roslie Sulie represented the two accused at Telok Datok Magistrate Court here.
The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutors Ishak Mohd Yusoff, Saiful Edris Zainudin and Idham Abd Ghani.
Suresh and Sarawanan are the first of the nine suspects from the Sosilawati case to be convicted.
The conviction of the two men will likely strengthen the prosecution’s case against four other men charged earlier with murdering Sosilawati and her three companions.
Lawyer N. Pathmanabhan and three others were charged on Wednesday for the murders.
The charred remains of the four victims were found at a poultry farm in Tanjung Sepat a month ago.
Police believe the victims were killed before their bodies were cremated and disposed of at the farm.
Besides Pathmanaban, 41, the other three accused of the murders are T. Thilailayagan, 19, R. Matan, 20, and R. Kathavarayan, 30. They are believed to be Pathmanaban’s employees.
They are accused of committing the murders between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on August 30.
They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code before magistrate Hurman Hussain at 9am.
All four men were charged with the murders of Sosilawati, 47, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32 and CIMB Bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, all of whom went missing a month ago.
Pathmanabhan and his brother, who is also a lawyer, had been implicated in the murder and disappearance of several others.
The accused are also being probed for the murders and disappearance of several others including Indian millionaire A. Muthuraja, 34, local businessmen Mohd Shafiq Abdullah, 37 and 44-year-old housewife T. Selvi.
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