KLANG, Aug 15 — Suspected members of a notorious underworld gang active here were charged under heavy police escort presence in the Sessions Court yesterday.
The 33 accused, including a woman, who are said to belong to Gang 24 Apache, arrived at the Klang court complex in a convoy of three police trucks with at least 150 heavily armed policemen clad in full tactical gear and body vests at about 8.15am.
Two of the accused were also seen wearing bullet-proof vests as they exited the trucks.
The police cordoned off the roads leading into the compound while armed officers with body vests stood guard in the courtroom between the dock and family members.
The woman, K. Poomani, 35, was charged under Section 130W of the Penal Code with assisting an organised criminal group through financial means from January 2015 to July 26 this year at 53, Lorong Delima 4A, Bandar Parkland, and could face 10 years’ jail if found guilty.
The other 32 were charged with being members of the organised crime group in the Klang district from January 2015 to this month.
They are charged under Section 130V(1) of the Penal Code, which provides for an imprisonment for up to 20 years, if convicted.
All the accused, aged 23 to 44, nodded after the charges were read out before Sessions judge Suzana Hussin by court interpreter Lim Boon Sun, in Chinese, and R. Latha Devi, in Tamil.
Deputy public prosecutors Mohd Mustaffa P. Kunyalam and Mohd Izhanudin Alias prosecuted the case.
Defence counsel Gerard Lazarus, K. Rajehgopal, S.K. Pari, K. Thiru and Zaleha Al-Hayat represented the accused.
No pleas were recorded from the accused and the case has been set for re-mention on Sept 14.
Several family members present were teary-eyed after arriving at the courthouse as they waited for the suspects to be brought out from the lock-up.
Some wailed and sobbed after the hearing was adjourned, with the accused swiftly led back into the lock-up by police officers.
