JB petrol station murder: Seven suspects arrested in Singapore
Number of those detained over brutal JB petrol station murder now 13
Malaysian police have arrested 11 more people, including seven who were detained with help from Singapore police, in connection with the brutal murder of a suspected secret society leader at a Johor Baru petrol station on Dec 17.
This brings the total number of those detained to 13.
Johor police chief Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd said four men and three women were picked up in Singapore on Wednesday, while four men were nabbed during a special operation in Johor in the wee hours yesterday.
The suspects are between the ages of 16 and 26.
In a statement yesterday, Mr Khalil said police are also tracking down several other individuals.
In response to media queries, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed that it received a request for assistance from the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) regarding the murder case.
"The SPF had arrested a total of seven Malaysian suspects, aged between 19 and 23, and they have been handed over" to Malaysian police yesterday.
The Malaysian police's first two arrests - of a man and a woman - were made on Wednesday.
REMAND ORDER
The Star reported that magistrate Noor Aisyah Ahmad has granted a seven-day remand order for six suspects - five men in their 20s and a 19-year-old woman - when they were taken to a Malaysia court yesterday.
The violent killing of the man, named as Mr Tan Ah Choy in media reports, has shocked Malaysians, with the authorities not discounting the possibility that it was an assassination.
He was stabbed, and then run over twice by a white BMW at the Taman Pelangi Shell station, about 4km from the Causeway linking Malaysia and Singapore.
The attack was recorded by a passer-by.
Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also Home Affairs Minister, said on Tuesday that Mr Tan was the leader of a criminal gang and the attack had allegedly stemmed from a dispute between two rival groups.
The Malay Mail Online news website said the 44-year-old was involved in illegal money-lending activities and had a long list of drug-related offences.
Quoting sources, the news site reported that the man had been investigated for 18 cases involving drugs trafficking and possession of drugs. The cases dated back to 2004.
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