10/04/2026

FRIDAY | APR 10, 2026

5

Caretaker pleads guilty to 15 offences against minors

Illegal e-waste syndicate busted KUALA LUMPUR: The Central Brigade General Operations Force on Monday dismantled illegal electronic waste processing activities at 14 premises across Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Johor under an integrated operation dubbed Ops Hazard 3.0. Central Brigade GOF commander SAC Hakemal Hawari said seizures included 1,400 tonnes of e-waste, scrap materials and processed end-products, with an estimated value of RM187 million. A total of 56 foreign workers from China, Myanmar and Bangladesh, aged between 30 and 50 – believed to have been employed at the facilities – were also detained. “Preliminary investigations found that these illegal factories hired workers without valid permits, paying wages of between RM1,000 and RM1,200 a month. They are believed to have been operating over the past two to three years,”he said yesterday. He added that authorities believe the e-waste was brought in from abroad for processing, but no owners of the premises, whether local or foreign, have been identified or arrested yet. Hakemal said raids were carried out at 10 locations in Selangor and two each in Negeri Sembilan and Johor, involving multiple agencies, including the police air wing, Bukit Aman anti-money laundering unit, the Department of Environment, local authorities and the Inland Revenue Board. The case is being investigated under several laws, including the Environmental Quality Act 1974, Income Tax Act 1967, Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Anti-Money Laundering Act. – Bernama Former theSun editor found dead PETALING JAYA: Veteran journalist Joshua Purushotman (pic) , a former associate editor at theSun , has died at the age of 66. According to his brother, fellow veteran journalist G. Umakanthan, Gombak police informed him of Joshua’s death yesterday morning. It was learnt that Selayang, with an autopsy confirming he died of a heart attack, believed to have occurred on April 7. Gombak police has since classified the case as sudden death. Starting his career at theSun in 1995, he was instrumental in setting up the Johor bureau, where he served as staff correspondent for several years. According to his peers, he was pivotal in breaking several major stories related to water issues in the southern state, becoming one of the first journalists to hit the front-page of the newspaper more than five days in a row. He had also served at several publications in his career, including New Straits Times , Singapore’s Today , The Heat and The Phnom Penh Post in Cambodia before returning to theSun in 2021. Beyond print media, he also held positions at several public relations firms and served with the National Kidney Foundation. For those wishing to pay their final respects, the wake will be held today between 12pm and 10pm at the Fook Yee Memorial Centre at Jalan PJS 3/34, Taman Sri Manja while funeral services has been set for 9am on Saturday at the same venue. – THESUN TEAM his remains were discovered in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle in

o Twelve charges relate to physical and non-physical sexual abuse of boys

surety, subject to conditions – including monthly reporting to a police station, surrendering of passport and no contact with prosecution witnesses. The case is set for next mention on June 10. During mitigation, counsel Nur Amalia Md Daud sought a lower bail, citing family circumstances, including a young child and a spouse working in Singapore. DPPs Nadia Malek Fauzie and Muhammad Hairuliqram Hairuddin appeared for the prosecution. Lawyers Kirthen Subramaniam and Premila Subramaniam held a watching brief for the families of the victims and Pertubuhan Kebangkitan Tiga Tangan Selangor, which exposed the alleged abuse at the home. On April 3, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri confirmed that a children’s home in Batu Caves, believed to have been operating for a decade, was under investigation following allegations of abuse. She said the ministry received a report on March 30, after which immediate action was taken by the Gombak Social Welfare Office. Investigations found the premises were unregistered and operating outside the provisions of the Care Centres Act 1993.

Children Act. Section 14(a) carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping, while Section 15(a)(i) provides for up to 10 years’ jail or a fine of up to RM20,000. The remaining three charges involve carnal intercourse against two boys aged eight and 10, allegedly committed at the same premises during February and March. These were framed under Section 377C of the Penal Code, which carries a prison term of between five and 20 years and whipping upon conviction. Both courts denied bail and fixed May 21 for sentencing. In a separate proceeding, the operator of the home, S. Valan, 31, claimed trial to four charges of physical and non-physical sexual abuse involving four boys aged between 13 and 16. The alleged offences are said to have taken place between 2019 and March this year at the Batu Caves home and another premises in Kalumpang, Hulu Selangor. The charges were framed under Sections 14(a) and (b) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and whipping. The court granted bail of RM15,000 in one

Ű THESUN TEAM newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: The caretaker of an unlicensed children welfare home in Gombak has admitted to 15 charges of sexual assault and unnatural carnal intercourse involving five underage boys, the youngest aged eight. Retna Velu, 25, pleaded guilty before Ampang Sessions Court judges Norshila Kamarudin and Ho Kwong Chin after the charges were read to him in Tamil. He was unrepresented and was dressed in a black T-shirt. Twelve charges relate to physical and non physical sexual abuse of boys aged between eight and 13, allegedly committed between November last year and February and March this year at a residential premises in Batu Caves. The charges were framed under Sections 14(a) and 15(a)(i) of the Sexual Offences Against

Retna (left) arriving at the court complex yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

Man armed with cleaver held after running amok

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Tengku Ampuan Rahimah in Klang for examination. The case is being investigated under Section 353 of the Penal Code for using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty, Section 427 for mischief and Section 6(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958 for possession of an offensive weapon in a public place without lawful authority. Those with information on the incident have been urged to contact the Kuala Langat district police headquarters operations room at 03-3187 2222 or visit the nearest police station.

acting aggressively while armed with a meat cleaver and a rattan stick. “Initial investigations found that the suspect had damaged items inside a seafood restaurant at Jalan Pandan 2 in Telok Mengkuang, and also damaged three vehicles belonging to the public in the surrounding area,” he said in a statement. Mohd Akmalrizal said the suspect also turned violent towards police personnel, swinging the weapon at officers and their patrol vehicle, posing a threat to both authorities and the public. He added that the suspect was detained for further investigation and taken to Hospital

PETALING JAYA: Police have arrested a local man after he allegedly ran amok with a meat cleaver and damaged a police vehicle as well as three other vehicles in an incident at a restaurant in Telok Mengkuang. Kuala Langat police chief Supt Mohd Akmalrizal Radzi said police received information at about 3.30pm on Wednesday regarding a man behaving violently at the premises in Telok Panglima Garang. A police team was immediately deployed to the scene, where officers found the suspect