Technical error, thieving cops back on duty

However, Petaling Jaya district police chief Arjunaidi Mohamed refuses to reveal details of the 'technical error', saying that it will jeopardise investigation.

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PETALING JAYA:  The two policemen who were allegedly moonlighting as snatch thieves were not detained because of a ‘technical error’, Petaling Jaya district police chief Arjunaidi Mohamed said here today.

The senior police officer however, refused to elaborate on the ‘technical problem’ faced by the police in detaining the two lower rank policemen.

“There was a problem during the identification parade. That is why the duo were back on duty after the incident. I can’t tell you about the problem as it would jeopardise our investigation,” Arjunaidi told a press conference at the police headquarters.

However, Arjunaidi assured that there would be no cover-up in the investigation.

“We are not protecting anyone. At the moment we are looking for more evidence and taking down more statements,” he said.

He also revealed that the two policemen were not attached to any police station in Selangor.

“The two cops are not from Selangor but I can’t tell you which unit or state they belong to,” said Arjunaidi.

When contacted, complainant B Saravanan insisted he had not made any mistake during the identification parade.

“As far as I can remember I did nothing wrong. In fact I straight away pointed at the two thieves (police officers) when I saw them lining up,” he said.

Thaiveegan promises probe
Earlier this morning, Selangor Acting Police Chief, A Thaiveegan expressed shock and regret over a snatch theft incident which allegedly involved two of his men.

Speaking to FMT, Thaiveegan promised to look into the matter thoroughly and guaranteed a fair investigation.

“Of course I will look into this matter. Give me the report number and I will immediately talk to Arjunaidi Mohamed (Petaling Jaya district police chief) regarding this matter.

“There will be no cover ups and the investigation will be conducted in a fair manner,” said the Selangor top cop.

“I want to get to the bottom this. I want to reach out to this man (Saravanan) so that we can both work it out and solve this issue. I take this very seriously,” he said.

On July 3, lorry driver Saravanan lodged a police report after he confronted two snatch thieves who had stolen a gold necklace from a foreign national. During the scuffle, the thieves also snatched away Saravanan’s gold chain.

Three hours after the incident, he was summoned to the Kelana Jaya police station for an identification parade where he was told by a corporal that the snatch thieves were in fact, police officers. He had also seen the two suspects walking about in the station.

Saravanan was once again called to the Kelana Jaya police station on July 19 for another identification parade. Despite identifying the perpetrators twice, Saravanan said that he has yet to receive any updates on the case investigation.

Good meeting
Also this morning, Thaiveegan held a meeting with Saravanan at his office at the Selangor police headquarters in Section 9 to talk about the incident.

“Thaiveegan and I agreed to cooperate and I am willing to work with them. I believe the police will do its work in a fair manner,” Saravanan said after the meeting.

According to Saravanan, several top cops from Bukit Aman were present during the meeting, including Arjunaidi.

“The way I see it, Thaiveegan is serious to investigate this matter,” he said.

Meanwhile, the two officers who committed the crime were also seen entering Thaiveegan’s office soon after the meeting ended.