JOHOR BARU, Dec 24 — A total of 10 men, believed to be part of a notorious underground secret society, have been arrested today in connection with the murder of a 34-year-old car repossessor whose body was found in a ditch at Kilometre 40.1 of the North-South Expressway in Kulai last Sunday.
Johor police chief Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said the suspects were believed to belong to the Ngo Seik Kee — Hokkien or Teochew for “five colour piece” — secret society and were arrested by a special team from the state police serious crimes division at 12.15am in a premises in Bakri, Muar.
He said the suspects, aged between 17 and 31, were believed to be involved in the murder incident and were arrested based on information from the earlier arrest of two men who were at the scene.
“Based on investigations, the motif for the incident was believed to have stemmed from unhappiness with the vehicle that was bought and the issue of non-payment with the bank.
“With the latest arrest, investigators are confident that the case will be solved,” said Ayob Khan in a statement issued here.
Ayob Khan also revealed that all 12 suspects have previous records involving drugs and criminal offences.
“Police are still in the midst of tracking down the remainder suspects who are wanted in connection with the case,” he said, adding that police will apply to remand the suspects under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code for further investigations.
Ayob Khan urged all parties involved in the incident to remain calm and leave the case to the police.
He also advised the public to refrain from purchasing cheap vehicles that have defaulted on a bank’s loan to avoid unnecessary problems as such vehicles were normally linked or protected by secret societies.