Latest news with #CommKumar
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
RM1.72mil worth of drugs seized in Johor raids
Major haul: Comm Kumar (second from right) showing the seized items at the press conference in Johor Baru. — Bernama JOHOR BARU: A drug syndicate was busted with the arrest of nine members and the seizure of some RM1.72mil worth of drugs following three separate raids here, say police. Johor police chief Comm Datuk M. Kumar said the raids were carried out between June 20 and 21 at three apartments. He said those arrested comprised four local men, a local woman, a Singaporean man, two Vietnamese women and a Laotian woman, aged between 21 and 64. He added that the mastermind of the syndicate, who is a 52-year-old local man, was among the suspects detained. He said police also seized 10.044kg of ecstasy powder, 140g of methamphetamine, 61.50g of ketamine, 5.7g of Erimin 5 pills, 40g of yaba pills, 78g of ecstasy pills, and 33ml of suspected drug-laced liquid. According to Comm Kumar, two of the units were converted into entertainment centres while another was used to repackage drugs. 'They operated from the gated and guarded apartments that were rented under the name of one of the suspects and a third party. 'They used two of the apartments to attract people for entertainment purposes while supplying drugs to their clients,' Comm Kumar said in a press conference at the Johor police headquarters yesterday. He said the drugs were packaged as tea bags while drug-laced liquids were stored in vape cartridges at the third unit. Comm Kumar added that the Singaporean suspect was believed to be a wanted person in his country for drug trafficking activities. 'We are working closely with the Singapore police over the matter. 'The suspects sell a kilogramme of ecstasy for around RM160, while the drugs packed into tea bags were sold at about RM5,000 per kg. 'The total seizure could feed the habit of about 33,000 drug users.' Comm Kumar also said that drug processing equipment, two cars, along with cash worth RM1,500 and some jewellery, were confiscated during the raids. 'Following investigations, it was found that four of the suspects are on record for offences related to drugs and crimes. 'We also conducted urine tests on the suspects, and all tested positive for methamphetamine,' he said. Comm Kumar said they have been remanded until today for investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries a death sentence or life imprisonment and whipping, if convicted. 'The four foreign suspects are also being investigated under Section 6(3) and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63,' he added. Comm Kumar also disclosed that from January until June this year, police seized a total of 1.08 tonnes and 5,816.5 litres of drugs valued at RM106.9mil collectively. He urged the public to continue providing information to help combat illegal activities by channelling information to the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department hotline at 012-208 7222.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Fatal twist in petrol station robbery attempt
JOHOR BARU: An armed robbery attempt at a petrol station in Iskandar Puteri has taken a deadly turn, with one man dead. The incident unfolded around 12.10am on Thursday, when four masked men, each armed with parang, attempted to ambush a vehicle parked at the petrol station near the Second Link Expressway. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the brazen attack, which has gone viral on social media, showed the men smashing the windows of a parked car. In response, one of the car's passengers fired several gunshots, forcing the attackers to flee. Three suspects ran back to their getaway vehicle, while the fourth escaped on foot. The body of a man, with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen, was found an hour later at Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA). Johor police chief Comm Datuk M. Kumar confirmed the discovery of the body at HSA. 'At approximately 1.40am, hospital staffers alerted police to the presence of the body with multiple gunshot wounds. 'CCTV footage showed two men leaving the body at the hospital entrance in a dark-coloured vehicle before driving off,' he said in a statement here on Friday night. Comm Kumar added the deceased was later identified as a 42-year-old Malaysian from Sungai Petani, Kedah, with four prior criminal records. He also said that a post-mortem confirmed he died from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen. When asked if the victim was one of the attackers in the attempted robbery, Comm Kumar said police were still investigating the matter. He added following initial investigations, police arrested three men in Dang Wangi, Kuala Lumpur, around 7pm on the same day. 'The suspects, two Malaysians and one Indian national, aged between 30 and 40, were nabbed by a joint team from the Johor police headquarters and Iskandar Puteri district police,' he said. Comm Kumar added police also made several seizures during the arrest including a component of a Glock 19 pistol, a licensed firearm permit and six rounds of 9mm bullets, bullet casings and a black car believed to have been used in the incident. 'One of the suspects works as a licensed personal bodyguard, and preliminary checks show he has a firearm licence. 'However, police are investigating whether the weapon was used according to legal protocols,' he said, adding that the suspects were being remanded for seven days until July 10 to assist in the investigations. Comm Kumar said the police were investigating the incident under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, Section 148 of the same Act for rioting with weapons and Section 39 of the Arms Act for discharging a firearm outside a licensed shooting range. He added further investigations are ongoing to establish the connection between the deceased and the suspects, as well as to trace other individuals involved in the attack. Comm Kumar urged the public to refrain from speculating or sharing misinformation about the case on social media. 'This is an isolated incident. There is no broader threat to public safety, and Johor remains secure,' he said. Comm Kumar urged those with information related to the case to contact the Johor police hotline at 019-2792095 or the operations room at 07-2212999.
The Star
4 days ago
- The Star
JB petrol station shooting: Dead man with bullet wounds dumped at hospital
JOHOR BARU: A violent robbery attempt at a petrol station in Iskandar Puteri has taken a deadly turn, with one man later found dead at Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA). The incident unfolded around 12.10am on Thursday (July 3), when four masked men, each armed with a machete, attempted to ambush a vehicle parked at the petrol station near the Second Link Expressway. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the brazen attack, which has gone viral on social media, showed the men smashing the windows of a parked car. In response, one of the car's passengers fired several gunshots, forcing the attackers to flee. Three suspects ran back to their getaway vehicle, while the fourth escaped on foot. Johor police chief Comm Datuk M. Kumar confirmed the discovery of a body at HSA about an hour later after the robbery attempt. 'At approximately 1.40am, hospital staff alerted police to the presence of a man's body with multiple gunshot wounds. CCTV footage showed two men leaving the body at the hospital entrance in a dark-coloured vehicle before driving off,' he said in a statement here on Friday (July 4) night. ALSO READ: QuickCheck: Did a group of armed robbers turn tail and flee after being shot at? Comm Kumar added the deceased was later identified as a 42-year-old local man from Sungai Petani, Kedah, with a criminal record with four priors. He also said that a post-mortem confirmed the man died from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen. When asked if the victim was one of the attackers in the attempted robbery, Comm Kumar said police were still investigating the matter. He added that following initial investigations, police arrested three men in Dang Wangi, Kuala Lumpur, around 7pm on the same day. 'The suspects, two Malaysians and one Indian national, aged between 30 and 40, were nabbed by a joint team from the Johor police headquarters and Iskandar Puteri district police,' he said. Comm Kumar added police also made several seizures during the arrest, including an upper receiver of a Glock 19 pistol, a licensed firearm permit, and six rounds of 9mm bullets, bullet casings and a black coloured car believed used in the incident. 'One of the suspects works as a licensed personal bodyguard, and preliminary checks show he has a firearm licence. 'However, police are investigating whether the weapon was used according to legal protocols,' he said, adding that the suspects were being remanded for seven days until July 10 to assist in the investigations. Comm Kumar said the police were investigating the incident under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, Section 148 of the same Act for rioting with weapons and Section 39 of the Arms Act 1960 for discharging a firearm outside a licensed shooting range. He added that further investigations are ongoing to establish the connection between the deceased and the suspects, as well as to trace other individuals involved in the attack. Comm Kumar urged the public to refrain from speculation or sharing misinformation about the case on social media. 'This is an isolated incident. There is no broader threat to public safety, and Johor remains secure,' he said. Comm Kumar urged those with information related to the case to contact the Johor police hotline at 019-2792095 or the operations room at 07-2212999.
The Star
5 days ago
- The Star
Online drug-pushing racket busted in Johor
Successful operation: Comm Kumar showing the drugs that were processed and repackaged into sachets, during a press conference at the Johor police headquarters. JOHOR BARU: Place your order using WeChat, pay for it online and pick up the stash beside drains or dumpsters. This was the modus operandi of a syndicate that was busted here for selling illicit drugs after operating under the radar since January, said Johor police chief Comm Datuk M. Kumar. He said five syndicate members, including the group's mastermind, were arrested in three separate raids in the city on June 19. 'The three Malaysian men and two Vietnamese women, aged 29 to 46, operated from two gated and guarded apartments, as well as a rented room in a terrace house. 'They used the rented units to process and repackage the drugs into sachets, which were sold via WeChat for RM100 to RM200 each, depending on the variety,' he said at a press conference at the state police headquarters here yesterday. He said the syndicate promoted the drugs through the messaging platform and after payment was made, the sachets were dropped off at inconspicuous locations. 'The buyer would then be notified to pick up the order. All transactions were done online, so the buyer and seller never met face to face,' he added. Police seized 16,865g of ecstasy powder, 104g of ketamine, 1,950 Erimin-5 pills, 1,250 ecstasy pills and 35 yaba pills with a street value of over RM2.9mil along with the arrests. Police also confiscated five cars, drug-processing equipment, RM9,100 in cash and some jewellery during the raids. The suspects have been remanded until today for investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act, which carries a death sentence or life imprisonment and whipping, if convicted. The two Vietnamese women are also being investigated under the Immigration Act for not possessing valid travel documents. Comm Kumar said police have arrested 12,835 people in Johor for various drug-related offences as of June 30. During the same period, police seized a total of 1.08 tonnes and 5,816.5 litres of drugs valued at RM106.9mil collectively. He added that public cooperation had contributed significantly to the arrests and urged the people to continue providing information to help combat illegal activities.
The Star
24-06-2025
- The Star
JB trader loses more than RM1mil after falling for fake job offer on social media
JOHOR BARU: A local trader has lost more than RM1mil after falling victim to a fake part-time job offer advertised on social media, says Comm Datuk M. Kumar. The Johor police chief added that the victim, who is in his 40s, lodged a report on Sunday (June 22), claiming that he had been duped by an online scam offering high-paying commissions for reselling goods. 'The victim came across a part-time job advertisement on social media on March 26 this year, where he was promised 25% commission for purchasing and reselling certain goods,' he said here on Tuesday (June 24). Comm Kumar added that after registering for the job, the victim was instructed to make several transactions to different bank accounts as part of the buying process. 'He made a total of 22 transfers amounting to more than RM1.15mil between March 28 and June 13 into various bank accounts purportedly linked to the business. 'However, the victim did not receive any commission or returns as promised, and eventually realised he had been cheated,' Comm Kumar added. He said the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which carries a jail term of one to 10 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction. Comm Kumar urged the public to be wary of social media job offers that promise lucrative returns, especially those that require upfront payments. 'We advise the public to remain cautious and not fall easily for online job scams that seem too good to be true,' he said. He also urged Malaysians to make use of available verification tools before making any payments online. 'This includes contacting the CCID Infoline, using the 'Semak Mule' portal, or downloading the Whoscall app to screen unknown numbers and accounts,' he said. Comm Kumar also advised the public to immediately contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 if they suspect they have fallen victim to a scam. 'Prompt reporting can help freeze the suspect's account and potentially recover funds before they are transferred out,' he added. Comm Kumar also said that for latest information on scam tactics and prevention tips, the public can follow the official social media pages of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) under the handle @Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Komersil - JSJK PDRM on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
