JOHOR BAHRU, Aug 28 — Police have arrested 13 people, including a 15-year-old girl, to assist in investigations into the death of a 17-year-old girl in Kulai last Tuesday, which has now been reclassified as a murder case.
Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the Kulai district police headquarters operations room received information from the public about a road accident involving a black Perodua Myvi at the Lingkaran Bulatan Persiaran Indahpura 4 at about 12.38 am.
He said initial investigations found that the vehicle was driven by a 20-year-old man with four passengers, including the 17-year-old victim.
“All of them had just finished dinner and were travelling from Jalan Kenanga, Indahpura, to their respective homes when the victim’s car was followed by several vehicles, including a black Toyota Vellfire.
“When they reached the roundabout, the vehicle carrying the victim was believed to have been hit by the Toyota Vellfire, causing it to veer off onto the road shoulder,” he said at a press conference at the Johor Police Contingent Headquarters here today.
The impact caused the victim, a front seat passenger, to be thrown out of the vehicle after the car door was damaged.
He said the victim was believed to have been subsequently run over by the Toyota Vellfire before the vehicle sped off. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following the incident, police arrested seven men and a 15-year-old girl, aged between 15 and 31, in the first raids conducted in Johor Bahru and Selangor on Aug 25 and 26.
He said five more men, aged between 16 and 29, were arrested on Aug 27 in the Johor Bahru area.
Ab Rahaman said checks found that nine of the suspects had criminal records, while urine screening tests on all 13 suspects returned negative for drugs.
Police also seized 12 mobile phones, a Kia Forte, a Toyota Vellfire, a Toyota Hilux pickup truck, as well as two metal rods comprising a baton and a baseball bat.
He said the Magistrate’s Court had granted seven days’ remand from Aug 26 to Sept 1 for seven suspects, while one suspect was remanded for two days on Aug 27 and 28.
The five suspects arrested in follow-up operations were taken to the Kulai Magistrate’s Court today for remand applications.
The investigation is being conducted under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder and Section 148 of the Penal Code for possessing weapons during a riot, while the Johor Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department is conducting a parallel investigation under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
He said the incident was believed to be linked to a membership conflict between two secret society groups in the Johor Bahru area, although the actual motive is still under investigation. — Bernama
