The three – M Puspanathan, 21, T Poovaneswaran, 24, and G Logeswaran, 29 – were killed on Nov 24. Police claimed that they were serial robbers who had attacked an officer with a parang.
However, in a press conference today, the families’ legal team presented a 13-minute audio recording captured during the incident that appeared to contradict the police narrative.
G Venodthan, the CEO of Thistlegorm Forensic, an investigative consultancy that analysed the recording, said the men appeared to be restrained immediately after exiting their car, with no audible evidence of a parang attack.
He said only the words “bonnet” and “walkie-talkie” were heard, with no mention of the weapons police claimed to have recovered.
He also said that several “gunshot-like sounds” were heard after the men were restrained.
Lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan said the forensic findings, together with post-mortem reports showing downward bullet angles, pointed to an extrajudicial “execution-style” killing.
“It is very obvious that all of them must have been kneeling down. This must have been an execution-style killing. That is the only way it would make sense that a bullet travelled top-down from the nose and lodged in the heart,” he said.
The families’ legal team, comprising lawyers Rajesh, Sachpreetraj Singh Sohanpal and Arun Dorasamy, demanded that Bukit Aman conduct its investigation under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
They also demanded the immediate suspension of all officers involved, including those allegedly responsible for fabricating the self-defence narrative, as well as for Melaka police to leave the probe to Bukit Aman.
“Wrongdoers cannot investigate wrongdoers. That does not make sense. The wrongdoers must be investigated by a higher authority,” said Rajesh.
They also urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to convene an urgent Cabinet meeting and consider establishing an independent commission or royal commission of inquiry to probe the possibility of police misconduct.
On Nov 24, Melaka police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said police were attempting to apprehend the three men at an oil palm plantation at around 4am when one of the suspects slashed a policeman with a parang.
He said the potentially fatal attack left the officer with serious injuries on his left hand, and that police had “no choice but to fire at them in self-defence”, killing all three at the scene.
Dzulkhairi said the three men, known as “Gang DT”, were suspected to have been involved in about 20 robberies of houses, factories and eateries since 2024, causing RM1.3 million in losses.