FOUR men were charged in the Batu Pahat Magistrate's Court today for murdering a businessman before his body was found wrapped and bound with netting in a river.
The four accused are Yogesvaran Subramaniam, 40, Lim Yong Ming, 26, Achuthan Nagarajan, 32, and How Han Wei, 33.
Yogesvaran, who is also a lorry driver; Yong Ming and Achuthan are lorry attendants, while Han Wei, a used vehicle dealer, nodded when the charge was read before Magistrate Mustaqim Sukarno.
However, no confession was recorded from any of the accused, as murder falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
They are jointly charged with murdering Low Kai Xian, 39, between a food stall on Jalan Emas Putih, Taman Sri Skudai, Johor Bahru and at Sungai Tanjung Sembrong, Parit Raja.
The incident occurred between 2.35 pm and 12.30 pm, between July 29 and August 3.
The charges were brought under Section 302 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same code.
The section provides for the death penalty or imprisonment for not less than 30 years and not more than 40 years and, if not sentenced to death, to be whipped not less than 12 times, if convicted.
Prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Shahzleen Ibrahim.
The accused Yogesvaran, Yong Ming and Han Wei were represented by Datin Fareda Sabapathy while Sean Dodley Samuel Jayarajan represented Achuthan.
The accused arrived at the court premises at 8.10 am under tight security.
Earlier, the prosecution requested the court to set a new date while awaiting the autopsy, DNA, closed-circuit camera (CCTV) forensic and mobile phone forensic reports.
No bail was offered for all the accused. The court granted the prosecution's application, and the case will be mentioned again on October 14 while awaiting the relevant reports.
Earlier, Kai Xian was reported missing by family members since July 29 after failing to contact them.
Police received information from the public about the discovery of the body at 12.30 pm on August 3.
Investigations found that the victim's hands and feet were tied with adhesive tape and there were several injury marks on his waist and arms.
The body was wrapped and bound with netting. Inspections also found five bricks in the net.
The motive for the incident is still under investigation, but the police have not ruled out the possibility of a debt-related murder. – August 17, 2026
