13 charged with murdering prison detainee

The detainees being led to the court room in the magistrate's court in Shah Alam on Wednesday.

SHAH ALAM: Thirteen detainees of the Sungai Buloh Prison were charged in a magistrate's court here over the murder of a fellow detainee.

According to the charge read out to them on Wednesday, the men illegally assembled at a cell in the prison between 12.45pm and 1pm on April 16 and killed Ram Kumar Govindasamy, 25.

The accused were all under remand at the prison pending trial of their cases.

The 13 accused are: Mohd Iszaruddin Ismail, 35, Mohd Zaki Shaari, 30, Noridil Fitri Nordin, 31, Noor Fadzlee Zizan, 24, Saphian Dahlan, 34, Muhamad Mustaqim Anas Yanannta, 24, Mohd Rajis Abdul Rahim, 33, Muhammad Faizal Mahemod, 33, Mohd Hashim Mohd Daud, 33, Mohd Basiran Mohd Bharuddin, 27, Ahmad Hanafi Ahmad, 47, Bariq Aslani Abdullah, 24, and Sahrol Afindi Sahanufin, 25.

They were charged under Section 149 of the Penal Code, which is punishable under Section 302 of the same code.
If convicted, they face the death penalty.

No plea was recorded.

Magistrate Farah Azura Mohd Saad fixed May 26 for mention of the case pending the completion of the post-mortem and the chemistry and forensic reports.

Police had said that Ram Kumar, a former national boxer who won a silver medal in the SEA Games three years ago, was killed in a fight between members of two gangs in the prison.

Ram Kumar, who was being held in connection with a kidnapping case in Klang last year, was allegedly stabbed in the back during the fight.