Suspected of 'tonto' links, youth claims cops beat him repeatedly
Lim Xiang Hui, 20, claims that plainclothes police officers assaulted him repeatedly in the wee hours of the morning on Jan 24 in Rompin, Pahang.
"My eyes, legs, back, and head were swollen due to the incident," read his police report, sighted by Malaysiakini...
Lim Xiang Hui, 20, claims that plainclothes police officers assaulted him repeatedly in the wee hours of the morning on Jan 24 in Rompin, Pahang.
"My eyes, legs, back, and head were swollen due to the incident," read his police report, sighted by Malaysiakini.
Lim's lawyer Aminahtul Mardiah told Malaysiakini that a letter had been sent to Bukit Aman's Integrity and Standard Compliance Department (JIPS) director Zamri Yahya on the matter.
In the letter, Aminahtul said her client was driving alone at around 2am along Jalan Muadzam Shah when he noticed a Perodua Myvi tailing him.
"When our client (Lim) was making a turn, the Myvi stopped him, and one of the men fired a shot. They pulled him out of his car, handcuffed him, and assaulted him.
"Then they pulled him into their car, continued beating him and asked: 'Where is the lorry?'" she said.
According to the letter, Lim had no clue what the officers were talking about.
"They refused to believe him and continued beating him as he didn't want to answer their question.
"Later, three lorries passed and they inspected all three, but detained the driver of the third lorry. The driver was handcuffed with him (Lim) by the roadside. However, the driver was released later," she added.
Following this, Aminahtul claimed that the police officers then drove Lim towards Rompin town, where he was again assaulted and pressured to answer the location of the lorry.
After this, Lim was taken to the Muadzam Shah police station.
At the station, Lim was informed that he was suspected of being linked to "tontos" for a syndicate involved in smuggling cigarettes.
Tontos keep a lookout and warn illegal lorry operators about the location of the authorities.
On Jan 27, Lim was charged at the Rompin Magistrate's Court for obstructing civil servants from carrying out their duty and reckless driving.
Malaysiakini is contacting Zamri for comment.
Illicit cigarettes
Meanwhile, Pahang police chief Abdul Jalil Hassan said the police are investigating Lim's report under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt.
Abdul Jalil said the police officers who arrested Lim were from the Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department (JKDNKA).
"Investigations showed that the complainant was arrested on Jan 24 by a police team from JKDNKA Bukit Aman.
"He was believed to be a 'tonto' who attempted to block the team's vehicle from chasing a lorry believed to be smuggling illegal items along the Muadzam Shah road," he said in a statement.
Previously, Harian Metro reported that illicit cigarettes made up an estimated 65 percent of tobacco products sold in Malaysia.
Sources with information on the issue said syndicates were willing to pay between RM100,000 and RM110,000 per shipping container that manages to make its way into the Malaysian market.
Corruption on the part of certain authorities, claimed one of the sources, meant that the government lost more than RM5 billion annually in taxes as a result.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.