SN Nair said this should be done without delay as the coroner who conducted the inquest into their deaths found that there was abuse of power and elements of a criminal nature involving the police.

“The attorney-general, who is also the public prosecutor, must act swiftly on behalf of the state,” he told FMT.

On Tuesday, coroner Rasyihah Ghazali said that S Mahendran, G Thavaselvan and his brother-in-law J Vijayaratnam, a Sri Lankan national, had died of gunshot wounds on their heads and chests.

“The shots were not fired in self-defence. There was abuse of power and (actions in the nature of) criminal elements by police in the death of the men,” she said.

Nair, a former policeman, said an independent investigation should be conducted this time around as policemen from the Selangor police headquarters and Gombak district police were involved in the incident.

“Preferably, Bukit Aman should conduct the probe and pass the investigation papers to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for a decision,” he said.

Lawyer M Visvanathan, who held a watching brief for the family of Thavaselvan and Vijayaratnam, said he had instructions to file a civil suit.

On Sept 14, the three men, whom police said were suspected to have been involved in armed robbery, were killed in a shootout with the police at Km22 of Jalan Rawang heading towards Batu Arang, following a 7km high-speed car chase.

Police had claimed there was an exchange of fire between policemen and the trio at the edge of a jungle and that two of the men had been armed with pistols.

Rasyihah said scientific evidence with regards to the position of the bodies and the weapons allegedly found on the two men did not tally with the oral testimonies of the policemen.

She said police witnesses gave evidence that shots were fired at the men from an upright position but post-mortem reports showed that the bullets pierced their bodies at a downward angle.

Rasyihah, however, said she was unable to conclude as to what had happened to G Moganambal, the wife of Vijayaratnam, who was reported missing after the incident and has yet to be found.

The four had left Kepong about 10pm on Sept 13 after dinner to visit friends and relatives.

It was also revealed in the inquest that the four left Kepong in a white Perodua Alza that was rented but police witnesses said they were in a red Volkswagen Polo around 5.15am on Sept 14.

The coroner said the men died between 5.20am and 5.30am based on evidence gathered at the inquest.