.JPG "South Klang Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Shamsul Amar Ramli speaks during a press conference at IPD Klang Selatan March 13, 2018. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Mukhriz Hazim")
PETALING JAYA, Dec 15 ― The killing of a transgender woman in Klang on Wednesday was not motivated by hate, state police disclosed today.
Klang Selatan police chief Assistant Commissioner Shamsul Amar Ramli said investigators learned that the murder was over an alleged theft after they interviewed four suspects arrested over the incident.
“One of the suspects had claimed the woman had allegedly stolen his Huawei Nuova 2i mobile phone while servicing him in November.
“The motive of the case is strictly on the alleged theft committed and not hate crimes against LGBT,” he said using the initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.
He said the four suspects aged between 16 and 19 were detained within 24 hours after they allegedly assaulted the 32-year-old victim in front of a hotel in Bukit Tinggi.
“A team from the Klang Selatan picked up the first suspect on Thursday at 10pm following a tip-off.
“The initial arrest led to three subsequent arrests on Friday between 3am and 6.30pm,” he said.
Shamsul Amar said all the suspects confessed to being part of the assault on the woman.
Two of the suspects have been remanded for six days until December 19, while two more suspects will be remanded tomorrow.
On Wednesday, the victim died while receiving treatment at a hospital, after she was believed to have been assaulted by several men with blunt weapons the night before.
She was found unconscious in front of a hotel around 7am that day.
Initial investigation revealed that the victim suffered injuries to the head, swellings all over the body and a fractured palm following the assault.
