02/04/2026

THURSDAY | APR 2, 2026

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Driver charged with murder of motorcyclist in road crash

3 held over insults towards royals, Islam JOHOR BAHRU: Police have detained three individuals, including a 17-year-old teenager, to assist in an investigation into the dissemination of content on TikTok containing elements of incitement, defamation and insults against Islam, the Johor royal institution and Johor police chief. Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the two women and one man, aged between 17 and 49, were arrested in Taman Saujana here on Tuesday. “Police received a report from a local man who detected a video uploaded by the owner of the account ‘ratunurputribalqis’ allegedly containing defamatory statements last Sunday,” he said in a statement. The content in the post included claims that the Sultan of Johor and the Tengku Mahkota Johor, as well as the prime minister, sought advice from the account owner in preparing speech texts. Additionally, the content also displayed defamatory claims that the Sultan of Johor kept the account owner’s identification documents for certain purposes related to teachings she promoted. The essence of the post also included accusations against the Johor State Islamic Religious Department of being involved in misconduct and corruption, as well as claims that obligatory prayers would revert to two rakaat (a single unit of prayer)and voluntary prayers to one rakaat. Ab Rahaman said checks found that all suspects had no prior records and initial urine screening tests were negative. He added that several items were seized for investigation and the suspects to be remanded for four days until tomorrow. The case is being investigated under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1988, and Sections 298 and 500 of the Penal Code. Johor Bahru South District police chief ACP Raub Selamat said in a separate statement that items seized included a jacket, mobile phones, glasses, rings, necklaces, bracelets, a table, a Quran, scripts, letters and related accessories to assist investigations. – Bernama Bukit Cherakah appeal dismissed PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court, in a 2-1 majority decision, dismissed an appeal by two NGOs challenging the degazettement of Bukit Cherakah as a forest reserve. The two NGOs are Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia and the Shah Alam Community Forest Society. Court of Appeal President Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Jais and Federal Court Judge Datuk Rhodzariah Bujang formed the majority in dismissing the appeal, while Federal Court Judge Datuk Lee Swee Seng delivered a dissenting judgment. The court made no order as to costs. On Sept 9, 2024, the apex court granted the two NGOs leave to appeal against the dismissal of their judicial review application challenging the matter. In 2022, the Shah Alam High Court denied the NGOs leave to commence a judicial review of the Selangor government’s decision to degazette 406.22 hectares of Bukit Cherakah. Their subsequent appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on Jan 24, 2024, on the grounds that the judicial review application had been filed out of time. The NGOs took the matter to the Federal Court, seeking leave to appeal the lower court’s decision. In their application for judicial review, the NGOs named the Selangor government, the State Executive Council, the State Forestry Department director and the Petaling Land and Mines Department as respondents. The other respondents were YCH Development Sdn Bhd, Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor and Restu Mantap Sdn Bhd. – Bernama

o Drug user faces death penalty or jail term of up to 40 years and 12 strokes of cane if convicted

The accused was unrepresented. The court set June 3 for mention of all cases and the submission of pathology reports. Earlier, the accused arrived at the Klang Court complex at 8.50am in handcuffs, escorted by police officers. The victim’s wife, Nor Nadia Abdul Majid, 32, was present in court to follow the proceedings. In the incident last Sunday, South Klang police chief ACP Lim Jit Huey said the victim was killed after being struck by a car allegedly driven at high speed and in a dangerous manner in Jalan Raya Barat. Due to the impact, the victim was thrown onto another vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary investigations found that the car driven by the suspect was travelling towards Klang town at high speed. The driver is believed to have overtaken several vehicles before veering into the opposite lane and colliding with the victim’s motorcycle.

KLANG: A man believed to have been under the influence of drugs was charged with murder at the Magistrate’s Court here yesterday over the death of a motorcyclist in a crash on Sunday. R. Saktygaanapathy, 28, was charged with causing the death of Amirul Hafiz Omar, 33, at Jalan Raya Barat, Klang, at 11.47am on March 29. The charge, framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, carries the death penalty or imprisonment of up to 40 years and, if not sentenced to death, a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane. No plea was recorded from the accused after the charge was read out before Magistrate M. Khartiyayini, as murder cases

fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court. In a separate charge, Saktygaanapathy pleaded guilty at the same court to self-administering drugs – believed to be benzodiazepine and tetrahydrocannabinol – at the South Klang district police headquarters’ Narcotics Office at 3.30pm on the same day, Bernama reported. He was charged under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which provides for a fine of up to RM5,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, and may include a supervision order of up to three years. Deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin did not offer bail, citing the seriousness of the murder charge.

Saktygaanapathy in court to face charges. – BERNAMAPIC

Mara adopts sons of late Amirul Hafiz IPOH: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) has adopted two children who lost their father in a tragic road crash in Klang, Selangor recently as foster children under Yayasan Pelajaran Mara (YPM). “A monthly allowance of RM120 each will be provided at the primary school level and increased to RM150 when they enter secondary school, along with continuous monitoring until they complete their schooling,” he posted on Facebook yesterday.

and to study diligently. He said the tragedy not only claimed the life of a father but also left deep emotional scars on the entire family. Asyraf said he had a video call with the victim’s mother, Faridah Ahmad, 56, which was also shared on Facebook while the victim’s widow, Nor Nadia Abdul Majid, 32, was out handling matters related to the deceased. “In a voice filled with emotion, she shared that the deceased was a good son. This loss is the loss of a pillar of support for young children,” he said. – Bernama

Mara chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the adoption of Muhammad Aqif Amsyar, nine and Muhammad Afif Izz Rayqal, seven, sons of Amirul Hafiz Omar, 33, reflects a sense of responsibility and compassion and is not merely temporary assistance but a long-term commitment to ensure their education is safeguarded.

He also expressed gratitude to Larut Umno chief Datuk Mohammad Daud Mohd Yusoff and YPM chief executive officer Faisalludin Mohamat Yusuff, who represented him earlier in visiting and extending assistance to the victim’s family. He also conveyed words of encouragement to Aqif and Afif to remain strong and resilient,

16kg of cocaine worth RM7.3m found on beach KUANTAN: Police discovered a bag containing more than 16kg of cocaine, estimated to be worth RM7.31 million, washed ashore along the coastal area of Pantai Tanjung Gosong in Pekan. Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the discovery followed a public tip-off, after which a team from the Pahang contingent’s Criminal Investigation Department conducted an inspection at the location at 2.45pm on Tuesday. Further inspection found that the bag

contained 14 compressed black packages labelled“stone”, believed to be cocaine, with an estimated weight of 16.263kg, in addition to six other packages whose contents had already dissolved, he said yesterday. – Bernama