Day in court: The accused being escorted to the Klang Sessions Court. — KK SHAM/The Star
KLANG: A man who is blind in one eye, alleged to be the leader of a gang of robbers, is among five men charged with committing armed robbery at a businessman’s house.
CCTV footage of five machete-wielding men stealthily breaking into a home in Pandamaran earlier this month had sent shivers down the spines of local residents.
Yesterday, the five accused – PS Tamil Kumaran, 38; M. Linggeshwaran, 23; S. Nagen, 28; G. Siva, 33; and R. Thamilrasan, 33 – pleaded not guilty before Sessions Court judge Sharifah Hascindie Syed Omar.
They are alleged to be members of the Casa Gang, purportedly led by Tamil Kumaran, who is a card-carrying person with disabilities due to blindness in one eye.The group is accused of robbing a 54-year-old man of Hindu deity icons valued at RM74,500 around 6.16am on Oct 3.
Under Section 395/397 of the Penal Code, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and whipping if found guilty.
Deputy public prosecutor Annur Athirah Amran did not offer bail but proposed an amount of RM50,000 for each of the accused should the court choose to grant it.
He also requested that the accused be required to report to the police station monthly and refrain from bothering witnesses.
Lawyers SK Loges Kesavan, Mohamad Fauzi Abdul Samad and Reenajit Kaur Golen argued for a reduction in bail, noting that the men had families to support.They informed the court that the accused worked as security guards, lorry attendants and part-time delivery men, earning about RM30 daily and RM2,000 monthly.
The lawyers also stated that the men wanted to celebrate Deepavali with their families.
Judge Sharifah Hascindie set bail at RM10,000 each, with the conditions requested by the prosecution, and scheduled Jan 8 next year for case mention.
