Trigger-happy police caused my husbands death, says widow
Widowed, five months' pregnant and burdened with a four-year-old son, Vasanthi Perumal, whose husband was shot dead by police recently, claimed that his death was caused by trigger-happy police personnel.
Vasanthi, 27, today lodged a report at the Brickfields police station against Federal CID director Salleh Md Som and "other police officers responsible" for her husband, Anthony Ponnusamy's death
She wants those involved in her husband's death to be investigated and charged for murder.
She is also seeking an urgent inquest into the case, urging the police to immediately stop their "unlawfull shoot-to-kill policy and not take the law into their own hands".
"I want a detailed written explanation as to how my husband was killed from the Inspector General of Police (Norian Mai) within 14 days, failing which, my family and I shall presume that the police are guilty of murder and I shall proceed accordingly," said Vasanthi, in her report.
"My husband has no previous criminal records and is innocent until proven guilty. Why was he not captured alive as the police have stated that my husband was supposedly wanted for the past three years," she added.
Shot five times
On Aug 25, the News Straits Times reported that police shot dead two men whom they believed to be 'notorious criminals', waiting to hijack a lorry carrying RM3mil worth of microchips and video compact discs, at an oil plantation near Mantin, Selangor.
Police opened fire on the duo, Anthony Ponnusamy, 30, and Letchumanan Monaindy, 24, after the two allegedly started shooting upon being cornered.
According to the police, a hand grenade, two revolvers, a semi automatic pistol and 207 rounds of different calibres, were recovered at the scene.
Ponnusamy, who was shot five times by the police, is suspected to be the Gang 21 leader and a Gang 08 member, believed to be responsible for numerous lorry and cargo hijackings besides running a gun-for-hire racket and being involved in extortion.
In the report, Salleh had said that the two men were high on the police wanted list for their involvement in various "cargo hijacking" cases reported over the last few years.
They were also involved in gun-for-fire activities and the sale of live bullets, he added.
Acted in bad faith
But in a statement today, Vasanthi criticised the local newspaper report as "false news published on the information of the police who acted in bad faith as a justification for unlawfully killing my husband".
"This is unlawful and unfair as my husband is dead and cannot defend himself," said Vasanthi.
"If the above was true then I would be rich. I have no more than RM900 in my bank account, no house, no jewellery and am now suffering as I am five months' pregnant and have a four-year-old son to take care of," she added.
Vasanthi, who was accompanied by family members, dismissed the police version that her husband had behaved "suspiciously, waiting to hijack a lorry, had guns, shot at the police, where the police returned fire and killed him".
"This is the standard story given by the police in 99 percent of these cases. My husband is not stupid to shoot when a group of policemen have supposedly cornered him," she said.
Present at the police station were Parti Reformasi Insan Malaysia pro-tem committee secretary-general P Uthayakumar and deputy secretary general and chairperson of the Human rights Police Watch Committee, R N Rajah.
Police personnel at the Brickfields station confirmed the report but decline to comment.
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