KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 — Nineteen “Emi Keju Gang” members including their ringleader, all aged between 18 and 38, were charged with being members of, and assisting an organised criminal group, in the Selayang Sessions Court here today.
They have been detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).
They comprise Zairy Huzaimy Md Akhir, 32, (believed to be the kingpin also known as Emi Keju); Muhammad Khairuddin Osman, 25; Amirul Rezky Md Akhir, 23; Muhamad Norrazak Azmi, 29; Jazli Jamal, 24; Mohamad Habib Abdul Jabar, 33; Abdul Rahman Mohamed Daud, 29; Muhammad Neshril Rustam, 31; Makmur Saleng, 32, Muhammad Ikmal Aizam Azwani, 18, Muhammad Nur Farhan Sutarman, 25; Muhammad Arif Aiman Mohd Rasol Ambia, 21; Farizuwan Baharom, 25; Nor Azuwan Hafifi Md Akhir, 28; Mohamad Firdaues Azwani, 26; Affandy Hardey, 38; Muhamad Imran Abdullah, 23; Mohammad Kahirul Azhar Abdullah, 26; and Mohamad Yusuf Mat Nasir, 28.
No plea was recorded in court today before judge Syafeera Mohd Said, as Sosma provides for their pleas to be recorded in the High Court, where the case will also be heard.
Eighteen of the 19 were charged under section 130V of the Penal Code for being members of an organised criminal group between January 25, 2017 and July 23, 2019 at Lot 3576, Kampung Indian Settlement, Jalan Bunga Raya 3, in Batu Caves, Gombak.
The maximum penalty for the offence is imprisonment for 20 years.
The remaining accused comprising Mohamad Yusuf, was charged under section 130W of the Penal Code for assisting an organised criminal group between December 22 and 23, 2017 at Warta Lama Pasar Borong Selayang — the maximum penalty for the offence is imprisonment for 10 years.
Nine of the accused were represented by legal counsel, while the remaining 10 were not.
As bail is not allowed under Sosma provisions, all 19 accused were sent to the Sungai Buloh Prison when court proceedings were over, while the next case mention was fixed for October 9.
At a press conference held yesterday at the Selangor police headquarters, police announced that the gang had been crippled with the arrest of its members recently on separate occasions - the ringleader was arrested in June.
Federal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Commissioner Datuk Huzir Mohamed said yesterday that Sosma had been invoked for the detention of the gang because previous arrests of the members had been ineffective as they had been released on bail but failed to show up for trial, with the gang continuing to thrive.
The gang is believed to have engaged in armed robbery in about 50 incidents since 2013, in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Perak and Negri Sembilan, amassing loot totalling about RM4 million.
The 19 men were traced through a special operation involving the Selangor Criminal Investigation Department and the Bukit Aman Organised Crime Investigations D14 unit.
It is understood that ringleader Emi Keju who led about 25 members, was a former inmate of the Melaka-based Henry Gurney School which serves as a rehabilitation centre for juvenile offenders. — Bernama
