Five hired-killer gang-men slain, including mastermind
GEORGE TOWN (Aug 19): Police today killed five key members, including the mastermind, of a gang that was directly related to a string of murders and attempted murders in the country recently.
The incident, encapsulated in a dramatic standoff in the pre-dawn hours, was part of a special nationwide operation launched by the police since Saturday resulting in more than 200 people, allegedly involved in dangerous gangs and secret societies, being arrested under the Prevention of Crime Act.
At about 4.30am, a special police team that staked out the apartment unit in Sungai Nibong here where the five – the youngest aged 23 – were hiding were greeted with gunfire from the members.
The team, comprising officers from Penang and Bukit Aman, retaliated and killed all five men. The police did not sustain injuries.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar told a press conference today that police are now on a nationwide manhunt for several remaining members of the gang which has been active in contract and revenge killings.
"With this, we have solved seven killings and two attempted killings in Penang, two killings in Kedah and one in Negeri Sembilan," he said at the state police headquarters.
He declined to say if the gang was involved in the Aug 8 murder of Veerappan Kanapathi, who had three criminal records under the Dangerous Drugs Act, and was killed in his car, after being shot 17 times by assailants on a motorcycle at the Anson Road-Macalister Road traffic lights junction in Penang.
Declining to specify details, Khalid confirmed that the gang members were involved in some of the murder and attempted murder cases that have occurred in recent highly-publicised shootings.
"We were never quiet when the cases, especially those involving firearm killings, occurred," he said. "We formed a taskforce to do investigations and go through the clues and leads."
Khalid revealed the police have been targetting the dens and "nests" of suspects related to secret societies in an 'Ops Cantas'.
"We set up road blocks to stop suspicious cars and conducted raids on entertainment outlets and 24-hour restaurants, as well as other places where secret societies converge," he revealed.
The more than 200 hauled up after the start of Saturday's operation will likely be charged under the Prevention of Crime Act which allows police to detain them for up to 72 days.
Khalid said the police are discussing with the Attorney-General's Chambers on prosecuting them on the most severe offences, based on evidence.
Asked about the number of former Emergency Ordinance (EO) detainees being held under 'Ops Cantas', the IGP said the force was compiling the data and will confirm the number later. The EO was repealed in 2011.
On the remaining gang members still at large, Khalid said: "We are tracking them. They are on the move."
He also declined to confirm reports that the five belonged to the gang called Gang 04.
Earlier, Bernama reported the five who were shot dead by police as J Gobinath, 31, R Ramesh, 27, A Vinut, 23, M Suresh, 25, M Gobinath, 21.
Police recovered three guns from them, namely a silver Norinco, a silver .38 revolver and a black Walther PPK.