TELUK INTAN, April 12 ― The driver of the car involved in the collision that killed three Pakistani men two days ago, pleaded guilty to drug abuse in the Magistrate's Court here, today.

Mohd Azizol Abd Rasheed, 36, a restaurant worker, pleaded guilty as the charge was read against him before Magistrate T. Ashvinii.

He was accused of administering the dangerous drug Tetrahydro-Cannabinol (THC) to himself at the Narcotics Crime Investigation Division of the Hilir Perak district police headquarters at 7.45pm on April 10.

Mohd Azizol was charged under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, read together with Section 38B (1) of the same law which provides for a maximum fine of RM5,000 or a maximum imprisonment of up to two years if convicted.

Deputy public prosecutor R Rishan Kumar offered bail of RM8,000 and the accused had to report to the nearest police station every month. He also informed the court that the accused was remanded until this Sunday to assist in the investigations under Section 44 (1) (a) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

Lawyer from the National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK) Faustina Francis who represented Mohd Azizol appealed for minimum bail on the grounds that the accused was supporting his mother.

The magistrate then set bail of RM3,000 in two sureties, apart from Mohd Azizol must report to the nearby police station every two weeks and set June 5 for the mention of the case and submission of the pathology report.

Earlier, in the same court, four Pakistani men, aged 24 to 49, believed to be involved in the assault of Mohd Azizol in a video clip which went viral on social media, were remanded for four days until Monday.

The court allowed the police’s application for a remand order to assist the investigation under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting.

Two days ago, the media reported that three Pakistani men were killed while three others were severely injured when they were hit by a car driven by a man at KM16, Jalan Teluk Intan-Bidor.

Hilir Perak district police chief ACP Ahmad Adnan Basri said in the 8.10am incident, all the victims were walking to a nearby mosque to perform Aidilfitri prayers when a Proton Saga car driven by a man believed to be under the influence of drugs crashed into them.

Yesterday, the media reported that the police arrested four Pakistani men involved in the assault of the car driver. ― Bernama