SEPANG: Thirteen men were charged in the Sessions Court today with being members of an organised criminal group known as Geng Captain Praba.
The accused were brought before Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman to face charges under Section 130V(1) of the Penal Code, which carries a prison term of between five and 20 years upon conviction. Today marks the 28th day since their detention under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).
The men charged are M. Lavindran, 27; M. Meganathan, 37; M. Tinesh, 20; K. Utayaragu, 29; M. Thinesh, 31; S. Jeevan, 19; J. Sangaranarayanan, 28; P. Joshua, 35; M. Devindran, 25; M. Nokarju, 29; S. Tivagaran, 22; S. Logeswaran, 26; and D. Vijayakumar, 36. They were each charged with being members of the gang at a palm oil plantation along Jalan Mahang, Kampung Sungai Jarom in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, between December 2023 and Sept 11 this year.
All the accused were handcuffed in the dock as the charges were read to them in Tamil. Each confirmed that they understood the charge, but no plea was recorded as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court. Security was tight in the courtroom, with police personnel in tactical gear and armed with firearms stationed near the accused and throughout the public gallery, which was filled with family members of the accused.
The men arrived at the court complex at around 8.30am, transported from the central lock-up at the Selangor police contingent headquarters in Shah Alam in two heavily guarded police trucks.
The convoy was escorted by a Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department team comprising five officers and 24 personnel. Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustafa P. Kunyalam told the court that bail was not offered as the case falls under Sosma, which renders the charges non-bailable and triable at the High Court.
Ahmad Fuad subsequently denied bail for all accused. Several defence lawyers applied for their clients to be allowed to meet with their families, citing that it had been nearly 30 days since any contact. Mustafa did not object and the judge allowed the meetings to take place within the court complex under police supervision.
Among the lawyers present were Shalvin K., Gurmukh Singh Sandhu, Revin Kumar, and Mark Jeyakumar Michael. Three of the accused, however, were unrepresented. Following the proceedings, the accused were allowed a brief meeting with their families at the lock-up area. The court set Nov 10 for mention.
Mustafa said the case will be transferred to the Shah Alam High Court once all necessary documents are in place. On Sept 24, Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail had said that a violent organised crime group responsible for murders, armed robberies, parang attacks and arson which terrorised communities in several states since 2023 has been crippled under Ops Jack Sparrow on Sept 11.
Seventeen men, aged between 19 and 44, were arrested in Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang and Perak. Police believe they form part of a 33-member syndicate led by a local man.
