Cops nab duo over shooting of Gani Patail's driver

A police crackdown on an organised crime group has led to the arrest of a duo involved in the shooting of former attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail's (photo) driver in 2017.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department chief Huzir Mohamed said both men are members of the Klang-based gang known as Ayah Yie Tiger, which is believed to have just 12 members. 

However, the man who pulled the trigger is still at large and police are intensifying their efforts to track down the 40-something suspect and remaining gang members.

According to Huzir, it has now been ascertained that the incident has nothing to do with the former attorney-general, and that the suspects were paid RM30,000 by someone who had a dispute with the driver.

"The driver had a personal issue with someone who paid RM30,000 to the gang (to do the job). The conflict was not related to the former AG.

"The duo will be charged under section 130V of the Penal Code," he told the media in a press conference at Bukit Aman.

The breakthrough into the case came after a police team from the Bukit Aman Anti-Vice, Gambling and Secret Societies Division (D7) gathered intelligence on the gang since September last year.

This following an incident where 20 gang members threatened a police officer, as well as several other cases including arson and assault.

"On Jan 22, the D7 team had picked up 12 individuals including the gang leader in Kelantan and Selangor.

"Three of them are public servants. They were all arrested for 28 days under Section 4(5) of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma)," he said.

Huzir (above) said in the operation, police found three guns in the gang leader Ayah Yie's house in Klang, where one of the firearms was later confirmed by the forensics to have been used in the Gani's driver shooting case.

The suspects are expected to be charged in Klang tomorrow.

In August 2017, two unidentified men shot and wounded Gani's driver at the victim's house in Ampang Perdana.

Report said it appeared that the assailants had wanted to send a warning, and therefore shot the victim in the leg.

Huzir stressed the importance of retaining Sosma which helped the police in crippling gangsterism.

"Whoever involved in the organised crime will be caught. That's why we need Sosma.

"Without this law, we couldn't curb problems created by this kind of gang.

"A small incident could trigger them to cause trouble to the extent of putting a vehicle on fire," he said.

Meanwhile, Huzir said that the police will record statements from former prime minister Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor before the end of the month.

This is in relation to the MACC audio recordings, purportedly revealing the conversation between Najib and Rosmah, which the anti-graft commission shared recently. - Mkini