SUBANG JAYA: A lawyer and his accomplice involved in the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple here have been remanded another three days.
"In total we have arrested 30 people in connection with the case," he told reporters at the Subang Jaya police headquarters on Wednesday (Nov 28).
He added that the nine new arrests were made around Selangor on Wednesday afternoon.
A riot occurred around the temple on Monday after a group of thugs entered the compound to threaten the devotees.
Several caretakers then contacted their friends and about 200 Indian men rushed there and cordoned off the temple.
When the police arrived, the intruders attempted to flee and a clash erupted between the two groups.
Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Mazlan Mansor (pic) said the remand for the lawyer and the accomplice were extended to help with further investigations into the case.
He said he was aware of the allegations that RM150,000 was paid to the leader of the thugs.
"We are investigating the matter.
He also said that police were investigating if any of the suspects arrested had prior records.
On the claims that fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, was hit by a reversing fire engine, Comm Mazlan said they were in the midst of investigations.
Muhammad Adib was first admitted to the intensive care unit of the Ramsay Sime Darby Healthcare centre after he was injured in the line of duty at around 1am on Tuesday (Nov 27).
He was part of a team of nine firemen responding to a fire at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in USJ 25, where rioters were protesting its relocation.
"We are taking statements from witnesses and urge anyone with information to come forward.
"There are multiple claims and allegations being made over this issue. Let us get to the bottom of it," he said.
He added that there were 500 personnel on duty including plain clothes detectives and Federal Reserve Unit personnel at the scene to maintain public order.
He added that police would remain in the area to maintain order as long as the situation required it.
He said that several youths were detained around the temple area for not complying with police orders to disperse early Wednesday morning.
"We detained them for crime prevention purposes and later released them," he said.
The temple was supposed to have been relocated on Nov 22, and plans to do so have been going on since 2007 after the land the temple was located on was purchased by One City Development Sdn Bhd.
In 2014, a consent judgement was entered into in court, where One City and two rival camps vying for control of the temple agreed to relocate it to a plot of land 3km away.
One City had also donated RM1.5mil to the temple as part of the settlement agreement.
However, devotees have continued to resist efforts to relocate the temple, which was built in 1891.
Comm Mazlan said anyone with information on the case can contact the police hotline at 03-2052 9999 or 012-600 9999.
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