A mechanic alleged that he was assaulted and robbed by Rela personnel and policemen who wanted to force a confession out of him.
UPDATED
KUALA LUMPUR: A mechanic today alleged that he was subjected to hours of torture by law enforcement officers including having a gun pointed to his head to force a confession out of him.
S Mogan, 42, was filling petrol just 200 metres from his workshop-home in Taman Balakong Jaya, when his ordeal began.
He said on Feb 16, while waiting for a customer whose car had broke down, eight men – five uniformed People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) members and three men who looked like gangsters – stopped him with the intention of searching his Nissan Sunny.
“They opened my car bonnet and said they wanted to check for drugs or illegal items. They asked why I kept all these tools in my car, and when I told them I was a mechanic, one Rela officer slapped me and all of them started assaulting me,” Mogan told a press briefing at the Human Rights Party office in Bangsar here.
Mogan said the group beat him with batons and iron rods, breaking the bone on his left leg.
“They whacked me. I screamed. They took my belt and tied my hands up and handed me to the Taming Jaya police station,” said Morgan, who is now on a wheelchair with a cast on his left leg.
While he can limp, he is still in pain as a result of being punched and kicked in the ears, head, eye, back and hip.
Mogan said the five Rela men who took him to the station accused him of various crimes. They conveyed their view to the police who appeared to believe them and tried to force a confession from Morgan.
“They said I stole cars, buses, TNB cables and was a drug addict and pusher and even involved in house breaks-in. The police also wanted me to confess to all these different crimes; it doesn’t make sense,” said Mogan.
He said at the police station, he was handcuffed and put in an interrogation room where four men continually beat, kicked and stepped on him. They also used a rubber hose to hit his legs and feet.
“Why must they do this? I told them my left leg hurts and may be broken but they continued hurting my left leg. They hit me everywhere – my head, body; I screamed ‘just kill me’ but they did not stop,” said Mogan.
Whacked for no reason
Out of the four who beat and verbally abused him, for about three hours, Mogan said he could remember
the names of three – “Constable Gunalan”, “Sargeant Renga”, and “Corporal Ragu”.
“This Ragu wasn’t in uniform but he asked me if I knew a drug dealer (named) Thirumalai. But I told him I am a family man, I fix cars, I don’t do crimes, I don’t even drink,” said Mogan.
“Unhappy with my answer, he stepped on my face many times and kicked me till I fell over. He then pointed a pistol to my head and said if I did not confess, he would charge me with other car theft crimes so that he can ‘close those files’,” he said.
Mogan was then taken to the Kajang district police headquarters where a urine test showed negative. He also had no criminal records.
“The investigating officer, a Sargeant Alikaseh, was very professional and even reprimanded the policemen for hitting me and arresting me without firm reasons. I was then released at 2.30pm,” said Mogan.
When he made his way back to his car, he found his car radio, speaker, his handphone and mechanic tools missing, including RM1,300 cash in his wallet. He lost about RM6,000 in total.
“I saw the policeman Renga, the station chief, there and he warned me: ‘You know who am I? If I find you again, if a lorry is stolen, you will die in my hands.’”
After this traumatic experience, Mogan said he is now afraid to go out after 10.30pm, when he normally takes night calls from his customers.
“I could earn good money because I could charge my customers; many taxi drivers (do this) at night. They (policemen) do this to a good man, and I feel like I should just become a criminal,” he said.
Mogan lodged a police report on his alleged assault yesterday.
Racial profiling
Meanwhile, Hindraf de facto leader and Human Rights Party pro tem secretary-general P Uthayakumar, who is acting for Mogan as his lawyer, said that he has written a letter to the Attorney-General, Inspector-General of Police, Selangor police chief, police disciplinary head, and Kajang police chief over the matter.
“This is a serious crime against an innocent citizen, and we see an offence of attempted murder and armed robbery by the police, Rela and gangsters. We urge a swift prosecution…” said Uthayakumar.
He added that Mogan’s case of Indian racial profiling, which is rampant, must stop.
“They see an Indian they see a suspect or criminal. That’s not right,” he said.
Police investigating the matter
Meanwhile, Kajang police chief Abdul Rashid Abdul Wahab told FMT that investigations were ongoing in regards to Mogan’s case.
“We will investigate and if we have the proof, then we will take the appropriate action. We take no sides, we are open for everyone to see and will not hide anything,” he said.
Asked if any of the policemen will be suspended pending investigations, Abdul Rashid said “we will not suspend them just because of the allegations. At this moment, we still have to investigate first”.
He said so far, statements have been recorded from six Rela members and three police officers.
“We only have two other Rela members who have gone outstation and the complainant himself to question,” he said.
It was learnt that police will most likely not classify the case under attempted murder or robbery, as sought by Hindraf, but for assault with dangerous weapons under Section 324 of the Penal Code.
Caught on camera: A screen grab from YouTube showing the suspect hitting the receptionist at the lodge in Kota Kinabalu. 
