Cops didn’t give us post-mortem report, says wife of man killed in shootout

The cortege carrying the remains of Thavaselvan during his funeral in Kepong today.

KUALA LUMPUR: The family of a man killed during a police shootout at Batu Arang earlier this month today claimed the police did not give them a post-mortem report.

As a result, they said the body of Thavaselvan will be buried and not cremated.

Thavaselvan was killed together with his brother-in-law – Sri Lankan national Janarthanan Vijayaratnam – and Maghendran Santhirasegaran following a 7km high-speed car chase at Km22 Jalan Batu Arang on Sept 14.

Today, his widow, Jasminder Kaur, 31, reiterated the families’ call to the attorney-general to open an inquest into the shooting, claiming that the police were lying about their version of events.

Jasminder maintained that police had killed Thavaselvan and that he had been beaten before he died. She alleged that his teeth were shattered and his arm was found broken.

“They should (have an inquest). My children lost their father, and my sister-in-law’s children … their father is dead. Their mother is missing. What are the cops doing? Nothing. They keep calling us to give a statement, how many statements can we give?”

Speaking to reporters at her husband’s funeral, she said she stood by their statements made to the police and to the media.

“From day one, there are no changes in our statements. But on the police’s side, they have been a lot of changes. They have been coming up with all kinds of stories,” she said.

The police had said the shootout occurred when a police patrol car ordered a car carrying the three men to pull over at Bandar Country Homes.

They said the men ignored the order, leading to a chase during which they opened fire on the officers, forcing them to return fire.

The police initially said the men were suspected robbers. They said they found two pistols, three machetes and three ski masks, and that the car they were driving was stolen.

Later, they said Thavaselvan and Maghendran were wanted members of the 08 gang in Rawang, while Janatharnan had overstayed his visa.

Jasminder denied this version of events, calling it “fake news” and attempts to tarnish the reputation of the men.

“You are here. Are there any gang members here?” she asked reporters, referring to the condominium unit at Kepong where the funeral service was being held.

Jasminder also called for the return of Janarthanan’s wife, Moganambal Govindasamy, whom the families maintained was in the car with the three men.

However, Selangor police chief Noor Azam Jamaluddin denied there was any woman in the car.

Jasminder said the families wanted justice, adding that she trusted the police to protect them.

“If someone was in the wrong, you should produce him in court. It has been 10 days and we still haven’t received any updates. We demand justice,” she said. - FMT