Families of deceased says they are not satisfied with the police press statement that the slayed were wanted for murders.
FULL REPORT
GEORGE TOWN: Aggrieved families of the five alleged members of Gang 04 who were gunned down by police on Monday demanded that the authorities haul the shooters to court.
Accompanied by their lawyer, Seri Delima assemblyman RSN Rayer, families of the four deceased have lodged separate police reports but with the same contents at the Jalan Patani police station here.
Only the older Gobinath family did not lodge police report last night.
In their reports, the families said they were not satisfied with the police press statement that the deceased were gang members and were wanted for several murders.
They reported that they saw several bullet marks on the deceased when they were called on to identify the bodies at the forensic centre in Penang Hospital.
“We want the authorities to take firm action on those behind the brutal killing of my son,” said VR Murugasen, 52, father of the deceased Suresh.
Police shot and killed the five during a raid on an apartment unit in Sungai Nibong at 4.30am on Monday.
They were Gobinath Jayasooryam, 31; Ramesh Raganathan, 27; N Rakan, 25; Suresh Murugasen, 25; and Gobinath Myavanam, 21.
Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar had claimed that the five were notorious gang
members involved in 10 murders and two attempted-murder since last year.
Initially, family members said they would not collect the bodies until a second post-mortem has been done.
But they collected the bodies last night after the police assured them that there would be no cover up in the case.
Rayer said the police had informed him and the families that they would not conceal any forensic evidence or facts of the case from them or the public.
“The police assured the families that they would be transparent and truthful in the full forensic report, which should be out in few days time,” said Rayer.
The funerals are expected to be held today according to Hindu rites.
Execution-style shooting
Police sources said records showed that except for the younger Gobinath, the rest of the deceased had past criminal records.
Large crowd, mostly family members, friends and relatives had gathered outside the forensic centre at the mortuary premises since morning upon hearing news of the killings.
Many were in tears and shock while some were upset and angry.
The families demanded IGP Khalid and state police chief deputy commissioner Abdul Rahim Hanafi to explain why the police resorted to brutal killings instead of apprehending the five.
They questioned the police on why they failed to arrest and charge the five in court if they were truly criminal suspects.
The older Gobinath was supposed to tie the knot next month.
Rayer, who was at the scene, questioned the police on the need to carry out an execution-style shooting when the raiding party could have apprehended the deceased.
He recalled similar execution style police shootings taking the lives of six ethnic Indians in Tanah Merah and Kulim several years ago.
Many who spoke to the press alleged that the police had covered the truth, practised double standards, committed brutal murder by abusing the law and planted the guns after the shooting.
“If (it is) true that the five who shot dead other people were sharpshooters, then why were there not a single policeman injured,” asked some.
Showing photo images of the killings, which had gone viral on social media, they alleged that the police had killed the deceased in their sleep and not in a crossfire as claimed by the force.
They said photo images and identification at the mortuary allegedly showed that each deceased was shot at point-blank several times.
Rayer said initial forensic results showed each deceased had been shot between two and five times.
Suresh’s mother, R Parimala, 47, said her son had called and talked to her on the phone at 3am, some 90 minutes before he was was gunned down by the police.
“He was shot four times in his sleep. Why?” she asked.
Family members and friends of the deceased alleged that the photo images showed guns had been wrapped with cloth in the left hand of some the deceased when they were right-handed.
They showed a photo image of a dead younger Gobinath, who is right-handed, having a gun in his left hand.
Friends said Gobinath can’t even lift high his left hand after undergoing an operation several years ago.
Grand finale for slain five
Meanwhile, this evening, large crowd, mostly youths, held a grand finale for the five men gunned down by the police.
The crowd held some three-hour funeral procession before cremating the bodies of the five.
Both Gobinaths’ funeral were held in mainland while the rest was on the island.
Accompanied musical beats of Indian traditional “tappu” drums, the crowd played fireworks throughout the procession and even after the bodies were being cremated.
FULL REPORT
GEORGE TOWN: Aggrieved families of the five alleged members of Gang 04 who were gunned down by police on Monday demanded that the authorities haul the shooters to court.Accompanied by their lawyer, Seri Delima assemblyman RSN Rayer, families of the four deceased have lodged separate police reports but with the same contents at the Jalan Patani police station here.
Only the older Gobinath family did not lodge police report last night.
In their reports, the families said they were not satisfied with the police press statement that the deceased were gang members and were wanted for several murders.
They reported that they saw several bullet marks on the deceased when they were called on to identify the bodies at the forensic centre in Penang Hospital.
“We want the authorities to take firm action on those behind the brutal killing of my son,” said VR Murugasen, 52, father of the deceased Suresh.
Police shot and killed the five during a raid on an apartment unit in Sungai Nibong at 4.30am on Monday.
They were Gobinath Jayasooryam, 31; Ramesh Raganathan, 27; N Rakan, 25; Suresh Murugasen, 25; and Gobinath Myavanam, 21.
Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar had claimed that the five were notorious gang
members involved in 10 murders and two attempted-murder since last year.Initially, family members said they would not collect the bodies until a second post-mortem has been done.
But they collected the bodies last night after the police assured them that there would be no cover up in the case.
Rayer said the police had informed him and the families that they would not conceal any forensic evidence or facts of the case from them or the public.
“The police assured the families that they would be transparent and truthful in the full forensic report, which should be out in few days time,” said Rayer.
The funerals are expected to be held today according to Hindu rites.
Execution-style shooting
Police sources said records showed that except for the younger Gobinath, the rest of the deceased had past criminal records.
Large crowd, mostly family members, friends and relatives had gathered outside the forensic centre at the mortuary premises since morning upon hearing news of the killings.
Many were in tears and shock while some were upset and angry.The families demanded IGP Khalid and state police chief deputy commissioner Abdul Rahim Hanafi to explain why the police resorted to brutal killings instead of apprehending the five.
They questioned the police on why they failed to arrest and charge the five in court if they were truly criminal suspects.
The older Gobinath was supposed to tie the knot next month.
Rayer, who was at the scene, questioned the police on the need to carry out an execution-style shooting when the raiding party could have apprehended the deceased.
He recalled similar execution style police shootings taking the lives of six ethnic Indians in Tanah Merah and Kulim several years ago.
Many who spoke to the press alleged that the police had covered the truth, practised double standards, committed brutal murder by abusing the law and planted the guns after the shooting.
“If (it is) true that the five who shot dead other people were sharpshooters, then why were there not a single policeman injured,” asked some.
Showing photo images of the killings, which had gone viral on social media, they alleged that the police had killed the deceased in their sleep and not in a crossfire as claimed by the force.
They said photo images and identification at the mortuary allegedly showed that each deceased was shot at point-blank several times.
Rayer said initial forensic results showed each deceased had been shot between two and five times.
Suresh’s mother, R Parimala, 47, said her son had called and talked to her on the phone at 3am, some 90 minutes before he was was gunned down by the police.
“He was shot four times in his sleep. Why?” she asked.
Family members and friends of the deceased alleged that the photo images showed guns had been wrapped with cloth in the left hand of some the deceased when they were right-handed.
They showed a photo image of a dead younger Gobinath, who is right-handed, having a gun in his left hand.
Friends said Gobinath can’t even lift high his left hand after undergoing an operation several years ago.
Grand finale for slain five
Meanwhile, this evening, large crowd, mostly youths, held a grand finale for the five men gunned down by the police.
The crowd held some three-hour funeral procession before cremating the bodies of the five.
Both Gobinaths’ funeral were held in mainland while the rest was on the island.
Accompanied musical beats of Indian traditional “tappu” drums, the crowd played fireworks throughout the procession and even after the bodies were being cremated.
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