Triad kingpin Ah Hai turns himself in for questioning

KUALA LUMPUR: A triad kingpin known as Ah Hai, believed to be the target of last week’s grenade attack in Bukit Bintang, has turned himself in for police to record his statement.

“He came in at about 9pm on Monday.

“His statement was recorded until about 11.45pm. He was not injured in the blast,” City police chief Senior Deputy Comm Datuk Tajuddin Md Isa said yesterday.

No arrest has been made so far in connection with the grenade attack, he added.

SDCP Tajuddin said earlier that Ah Hai was believed to be one of the witnesses who could help police in their investigation and establish the motive for the attack.

The attackers are believed to be from a rival gang.

Meanwhile, City police deputy CID chief Asst Comm Khairi Ahrasa said the statements of the 12 injured and five others had been recorded.

“We are monitoring the CCTV footage in the area to track down those involved in the incident,” ACP Khairi said yesterday.

The blast at about 4.25am lastThursday, which had been linked to a turf war between rival gangs, ripped through the front of the Cherry Blossom Club in Jalan Bukit Bintang, killing 36-year-old car joc­key Tiong Kwang Yie and injuring 12 others.

A Toyota Alphard, Toyota Camry, Mazda and BMW were damaged in the blast.

The injured, aged between 31 and 56 years old, included a Thai man, a Singaporean male, and four women Chinese nationals.

The 12 injured sent to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital have all been discharged, according to a spokesman.

But ACP Khairi said at least two of them were still undergoing treatment elsewhere.

He urged clinics or private hospitals, which had treated anyone injured in the blast, to come forward to the nearest police station to assist in the investigation.

People with property damaged by the explosion should also report to the police, he said.

It is learnt that Ah Hai was at the scene at the time of the incident but escaped unhurt when a second hand grenade that was thrown from the second floor of a building failed to explode.

The 53-year-old Ah Hai was reported to have led an underworld gang for more than two decades.

He is believed to be from Gang 21, which has been running illegal businesses here including gambling.

Sources believe that Ah Hai was trying to legitimise his operations by branching out into businesses such as property development and import of food.