PETALING JAYA, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- The main suspect in the murder of cosmetics queen Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others lodged a police report Sunday, alleging police brutality while under remand.
The 41-year-old who filed a report at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters, was escorted by several policemen and watched closely by his two lawyers, Ravi Nekoo and Pushpa Ratnam.
The suspect was seen entering the police headquarters at 4.15pm before leaving about an hour later, in a police car.
According to the report, the suspect alleged he was kicked and assaulted by policemen using a rubber hose, as well as hit on his private parts with a stick.
He said he was also forced to perform 60 repetitive squat stands until he passed out, adding that he was also forced to admit and point his finger involuntarily to where a murder victim's mobile phone was thrown.
Meanwhile, Nekoo said the police were cooperative and allowed the suspect to make a report on police mistreatment which resulted in back injuries.
"He (suspect) claimed to have been slapped and beaten until his front teeth became loose, and even experienced back pains...the suspect will be sent to the hospital for treatment but the date and hospital have not been confirmed.
"The suspect claimed he was not involved in the murder...however, he is ready to help the police in any way but hopes to be treated better and fairly," he told reporters outside the police headquarters.
On Sept 23, D. P. Vijandran, who is one of the suspect's lawyers, alleged that his client was hit and kicked, resulting in body injuries.
The matter was made known by his client during Vijandran's first visit with his two clients, which lasted 15 minutes, at the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters.
Subsequently, Bukit Aman CID director Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin told the suspect to file a police report, should they be abused or forced to sign documents by the police team during their remand period to enable a thorough investigation.
Sosilawati, 47, her driver, Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur CIMB bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, and personal lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abd Karim, 32, were reported missing since Aug 30 after they were said to have gone to Banting over a land transaction.
On Sept 13, police confirmed that the four victims were beaten to death before their bodies were burnt and the ashes scattered into a river near Ladang Gadong, Banting, Selangor.
In BANTING, a source linked to the investigations of these murders termed the Banting murders by the press, told reporters that no bodies were found at two locations police had identified as graves at Ladong Gadong.
He only said police appeared to be satisfied to have found some evidence but did not wish to disclose if they were bone fragments or personal effects of victims.
He was only willing to say that the find provided leads in the case of missing Kedah businessman Mohd Shafik Abdullah.
Mohd Shafik, who hails from Sungei Petani, is also believed to have been murdered by the same people as in the Sosilawati case.
Asked about the presence of fire and rescue personnel and fire engines at the scene, he said they were there to assist in providing water supply for the investigation team and that the assistance of Syabas was also sought to repair broken mains in the area.
Pressmen who had staked out the area from early morning till 6.55pm did not see police Land Rovers bringing out any body bags as is normally witnessed in murders and neither was there the stench of decaying corpses.
Only seen were 10 police vehicles and a backhoe entering the area together with four suspects in the case.
In other developments, S.Usharani, 27, the wife of missing Indian multi-millionaire Allal Kanthan Muthuraja, whose missing is also linked to the Banting murders, was seen entering the Kuala Langat police headquarters at 10am and leaving at 10.45.
Police have re-classified this case from missing person to murder victim.
-- BERNAMA
