KUALA LUMPUR – Four men pleaded not guilty at the high court here yesterday to charges of killing former Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute researcher Wan Hassan Wan Embong in a robbery incident at the latter’s residence last year.
Security guard S. Vickeswaran, 23, mailman P. Kogilan, 24, unemployed M. Ravindran, 24, and electrician T. Sugu, 28, made the plea after the charges against them were read out during case mention.
They were charged with conspiring to commit murder by causing the death of Wan Hassan, 73, at Jalan Mambu in Bukit Bandaraya, here, between 3.35am and 4am on November 29.
The charges were filed under Section 302 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same Code, which provides the mandatory death sentence, if convicted.
Ravindran also pleaded not guilty to injuring the victim’s wife, Sarifah Yusof, 71, using a machete at the same place and time under Section 324 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years, or a fine, or whipping, or any two of the sentences.
The four accused also pleaded not guilty to jointly committing gang robbery using a hammer and machete on engineer Mohd Muzaffar Zulkifli Martin, 34, involving losses of about RM38,000 at a house in Taman Tiara Titiwangsa, Setapak, on the same date between 4.12am and 5.30am, pursuant to Section 395/397 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and whipping, if convicted.
They were represented by lawyer Datuk Sheelan Arjunan.
The court set July 27 for mention, and the trial proceedings for all the cases have been set for February 7 and 11, 14 to 18, and 21 to 25 next year.
The media previously reported that the victim died after allegedly being hacked in a robbery incident at his house, while his wife suffered injuries to her right hand. – Bernama, July 7, 2021
