KOTA KINABALU, Dec 22 — The case of a group of men rioting at a restaurant in Beaufort last Saturday (Dec 19) that went viral on social media is unrelated to gangsterism and the public has been asked to not speculate on the case.
Sabah police commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali said it was a case of drunk locals who were dissatisfied with the restaurant owner who was uncomfortable with the presence of drunken individuals whom he claimed were disturbing his business.
“In Sabah there are no such organised gangster groups as alleged (by the public). Only a group of local youths who were aggressive when drunk.
“Five suspects have been detained to facilitate investigations and the case will be investigated under Section 148/302 of the Penal Code,” he said in a statement here today.
The media previously reported that a man suffered serious injuries to his head after being slashed by a machete while another suffered light wounds to his head allegedly in the 11.40pm incident.
In addition, Hazani said the police were tracking down two suspects to facilitate investigations, namely the restaurant owner identified as Hobalan N. Vello, 37, nicknamed Jimmy Black and his friend, Kesavan Perambalan, 34.
“The police are doing our best to mobilise all personnel from various departments in the Sabah and Sarawak police contingent to trace and detain the two suspects,” he said.
He added that early investigations revealed the main suspect, Hobalan, was no longer an Individual Under Police Surveillance as he was last monitored in 2008 and the suspect did not possess a criminal record since 2008.
“We appeal for calm and time for the police to investigate the case further. The public is welcomed to help track the suspect involved by contacting the nearest police station,” he said. — Bernama
