ALOR SETAR: An 18-year-old youth who was found dead had been accused of stealing a motorcycle, which prompted a group of suspects to allegedly torture him before his body was found by the roadside in Jalan Harvard, Gurun.
Kedah police chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah said police received information about the body's discovery at 8.05am on Oct 8, while a post-mortem examination found the victim died from blunt force trauma to the head.
He said the suspects acted out of anger after receiving complaints from local residents that the victim had stolen a motorcycle.
"The victim was caught in Pendang on Oct 5 before being taken to one of the suspects' houses, where he was detained for two days, tortured, beaten, and had his hair cut," he told reporters at the Kedah police headquarters here on Monday (Oct 12).
Adzli said the victim was found dead in the house on the night of Oct 7 and his body was then dumped by the roadside.
He said police arrested 14 men aged 16 to 24 in Gurun and Guar Chempedak on Oct 8, a few hours after the body was discovered.
Police seized 14 mobile phones, a car, scissors and the victim's identity card. Twelve suspects have been remanded for six days until Wednesday, while two underage suspects have been remanded until Tuesday. The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
The victim, identified as Muhammad Haikal Mohd Shahrilnizam, 18, was found with injuries to his head and face. He was initially found without identification documents.
In a separate case, Adzli said police were tracking down two men over an attempted murder and obstructing police officers from carrying out their duties during Ops Pintas, an operation against migrant smuggling at the Hutan Kampung Toll Plaza here on Oct 7.
He said police intercepted an SUV suspected of carrying five migrants but the driver allegedly attempted to run over a police officer and crashed into the toll barrier.
"Police fired one shot at the tyre but the suspect fled and abandoned the vehicle in Pendang, about 28.3km from the scene," he said.
Adzli said several individuals had been detained, while police were seeking Muhammad Raffi Yusrino, 28 and Zulfikrie Naaim Morhinino, 36, to assist in the investigation. – Bernama
