Cops have solid evidence against evil murder suspects

Police have painstakingly collected evidence to build an airtight case against the suspects in the murders of cosmetic queen Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others.

CID Director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin announced yesterday that they were confident of going to court with an iron-clad case and that a report would be sent to the Attorney-General’s Chambers next week.

In other developments:

>       Evidence-gathering at Ladang Gadong in Banting, believed to be the crime scene, is halted for now.

>       Police have nabbed a 34-year-old man in connection with the Indian national reported missing earlier in Banting.

>       Interpol’s assistance being sought in the probe on the Indian national’s disappearance.

>       A deputy minister has denied allegations that he had links with the main suspect.

The three suspects, detained by police over the murder of cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya and three others, have had their remand extended for another seven days till Sept 25, said Kuala Lumpur CID Chief Datuk Ku Chin Wah on Saturday.

Motor workshop owner P. Balasandram believes that his biggest mistake was allowing the lawyer brothers allegedly behind millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya’s murder to talk him into lending money.

“Not only did I lose money in the venture but my wife’s life became the ultimate sacrifice,” said Balasandram.

His wife T. Selvi was slashed to death by two men in front of their Banting home in April last year.

Selangor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar had said that the lawyer brothers, who used to have a money-lending business with Bala san dram, had been implicated in Selvi’s murder.

Balasandram said the lawyers had acted as the “middle person” and witnesses for three loan agreements signed in 2006.

Infamous farm: Members of the media gathering in Ladang Gadong where the murders allegedly took place.

However, he said only one borrower had repaid his loan in full.

“One borrower has only paid half of his loan while another who had taken the biggest loan at RM80,000, only paid RM15,000,” he claimed.

It is believed the RM80,000 borrower is a businesswoman with links to the brothers.

Balasandram claimed that despite her refusing to repay the remaining amount, the lawyers had “protected” her.

When he sent a letter of demand to the brothers and the borrowers, they called him and his wife to their legal office in November 2007.

“The woman who borrowed the RM80,000 was there. They threatened to harm my family if I continued to pressure them for my money,” he said.

Balasandram said he decided not to take legal action after his wife’s murder as he feared for the safety of his three children aged between 14 and 20.

There seems to be more intrigue in the disappearance of Indian millionaire A. Muthuraja.

His wife S. Usharani claims that Muthuraja’s brother Kasi had paid a Malaysian contact RM80,000 in April for his brother’s safe return to India.

“A person called Elil from Batu Caves called Kasi and me some time in April and told us that my husband was in police custody over a drug-related case.

“He said that RM80,000 was required for my husband’s release and even booked a ticket on a night flight for Muthuraja on the purported day of release,” Usharani said when contacted in Ramapuram, Chennai.

She claimed that Elil had told Kasi they had to wait for Muthuraja to be charged first before making the necessary payments to secure his release.

Muthuraja disappeared on Jan 18 after allegedly coming to Malaysia to see the two lawyer brothers implicated in Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya’s murder.

She said Kasi came to Malaysia to hand over the money to Elil and bought himself a ticket on the same flight that Muthuraja was supposed to be on two days later.

“But my husband was not on the flight and Kasi came back alone,” she said.

Usharani claimed that Elil had also waited at the airport and had brought along Muthuraja’s ticket. But when Muthuraja did not turn up, he told Kasi there was trouble with the police.

She said Kasi had called Elil upon his return and was told the authorities had not released Muthuraja as promised.

“Elil also said that the middleman who had promised Muthuraja’s release must have cheated us of the money,” said Usharani.

She also alleged that Elil had hinted Muthuraja might not be in police custody and told Kasi that he should place a missing person’s advertisement in Malaysian newspapers.

Asked whether she had mentioned this in the report she lodged at the Banting police station on Sept 8, Usharani said she had forgotten to do so.

“If the father can jump 8 feet, the son will jump 16 feet” , is an old  Tamil proverb that turned out to be correct in the case of Pathmanaban, the prime suspect in the murder case of cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsudin,  lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim,  and CIMB Bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad.

The brothers, Pathmanaban and Surinder, learned the ‘Land Scam’ and ‘Ah long’ (money lending) trade from their father Nalliyanan (not sure of the spelling).

According to sources, Nalliyanan was a big time con-man in Banting, Selangor, running his business under ‘Nalli Finance’.  

Also, he had a rice dealership license.

He had cultivated strong political connections with several top MIC politicians, including former MIC deputy president S Subramaniam, Sangaran Gopal, Klang Businessman Saminathan and others.

With these connections and having an added advantage of being a ‘Konggu Gounder’ caste, Nalliyanan received special treatments for his Land Scam deals from NESA, a cooperative society founded by MIC and currently headed by S Subramaniam.

NESA approved loans, some still outstanding, beyond the real value of the land.

Since NESA took an injunction against Maika Holdings to stop the sale of its insurance arm owing to irregularities in the deal, NESA is morally obliged to explain if there were any irregularities in the loan approval to their clan and their nexus with Nalliyanan in land deals.

Nalliyanan has been implicated in several other cheating and misappropriation cases. One of them is the misappropriation of Banting PillayarHindu temple funds.  The case is pending in court.

The family lived a luxurious life from the wealth amassed. Some of the looted money was at least used for his children education.

Pathmanaban and Surinder studied law in Bond University, Australia, where else, the daughter, currently a practicing gynecologist, went to a medical school in England.

Father thought the kids to jump 6 feet but the brothers jumped 16 feet.

“Outwardly, the brothers lived like Jamindhars but actually they lived like Pannayars”, said a businessman familiar with the case.

In essence, Pathmanaban did some charitable work defending foreign workers rights. Many describe him to be humble and ever ready to help the needy.

But those who know him well think otherwise.

 “He has high temper and ever ready to punish those who cross his line like a Pannayar”.  

Pathmanaban is married to an engineering graduate who is a lecturer at a Community College in Banting but were living separately, the last few months.

Though Pathmanaban received huge publicity from the media and has been branded as the mastermind, the younger brother Surendran, a shrewd man carrying out all the dirty work behind the scene, received little attention.

Surendran, an auditor, accountant turned lawyer, is married to a medical doctor from India. She works in Putrajaya.

So far, Padmanaban’s sister has not been implicated in any of the brothers land scam, money lending and money laundering activities.

However, she had an extravagant wedding reception at KL convention center where the police provided VVIP escort. Why such a treatment for an ordinary citizen?

And, the family seems to own nearly 15 luxury cars.

Supramaniapuram was a box office Tamil movie in recent times directed by relatively a new director. The movie portrays how ordinary street thieves are manipulated by the rich to commit cold blooded murders.  

Likewise, Padmanaban and Surindran manipulated the young ordinary criminals to commit heinous crimes.

Certainly, the brothers jumped much further then the father.