‘You can run but you cannot hide, Ridzuan’

Lawyer M Kulasegaran says the Muslim convert must surrender since a warrant of arrest has been issued against him.

GEORGE TOWN: Muslim convert Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah cannot run away from a court order to hand over custody of his youngest daughter to his former wife M Indira Gandhi, lawyer M Kulasegaran said today.

“He should know how serious the case is. He cannot run away from contempt of court,” said Kulasegaran, who is Ipoh Barat MP.

He warned Ridzuan of dire consequences if he failed to comply with the court order to give custody of Prasana Diksa to Indira Gandhi.

Kulasegaran, who is also the counsel for Indira Gandhi, welcomed the police operation to trace the whereabouts of Ridzuan.

He said he heard from Indira Gandhi that the police have been combing several familiar places in Ipoh since last Sunday to locate Ridzuan.

He added that Ridzuan was believed to have frequently patronised these places whenever he was in Ipoh.

However, he said the police should also comb Kota Bharu, where the father and daughter were reportedly staying.

He added that the police could also trace Ridzuan via his mobile phone.

He said Ridzuan had given a Kota Bharu address as his correspondence address in his case against Indira Gandhi.

“Everything indicates that he is in Kota Bharu. I hope the police are also looking for Ridzuan in his last known address in Kota Bharu,” he told FMT.

Kulasegaran urged Ridzuan to emerge from hiding and surrender as a warrant of arrest had been executed against him.

He was commenting on a directive issued by Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar to Perak police to trace Ridzuan in Ipoh.

Perak police chief Senior Deputy Commissioner Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani has said that the police had received the directive to determine Ridzuan’s whereabouts.

He indicated that police believed Ridzuan, previously known as K Patmanathan, was in Kelantan.

In April 2009, Ridzuan took away Prasana, then 11 months old, and converted her and her two siblings, Tevi Darsiny, then 12, and Karan Dinish, then 11, to Islam without Indira Gandhi’s knowledge.

The High Court later granted Indira Gandhi full custody of all three children.

On March 11, 2010, Ridzuan was ordered to return Prasana to the mother.

Meanwhile, the Syariah High Court also awarded Ridzuan custody of all three children.

On May 30, Ipoh High Court judge Lee Swee Seng issued a warrant of arrest against Ridzuan for contempt after he repeatedly failed to return Prasana.