Published: Monday March 26, 2012 MYT 8:27:00 PM

Burglars tie up Mawi and family

KAJANG: Singer Mawi suffered losses of RM10,000 when four men, believed to be Indonesian nationals, armed with machetes and knives, broke into his three-storey bungalow in Bangi Golf Resort here early Monday.
Mawi, whose real name isAsmawi Ani, 31, his wife, Ekin or Norashikin Rahman, 33, their new-born baby girl, Cahaya Malaika, his mother-in-law Fatimah Saad, 56, grandmother Salmah Sahar, 77, and a maid, were also tied by their hands and legs, while the robbers ransacked the house at about 4am.
He said that after about 20 minutes, the four men, three of whom were wearing masks, escaped with the grandmother's gold necklace, four mobile phones and cash worth about RM10,000.
"My wife and I were awakened by loud bangs on our bedroom's door. At first, we thought it was her grandmother, but as soon as Ekin opened the door, one of the suspects held her at knife point and asked for her jewellery," the Akademi Fantasia 3 champion told a press conference at the scene Monday.
Mawi said the suspects then pushed Ekin, Salmah and their maid into the bedroom before tying their hands and legs with ropes.
"After that, the suspects continued ransacking the room for jewellery and cash before leaving the bungalow through the kitchen's window," he said.
Mawi said he used his teeth to loosen the ropes around his hands before freeing his family and calling the police.
Kajang police chief ACP Abdul Rashid Abdul Wahab, when contacted, confirmed the incident and said that the case was being investigated under Section 395 and 397 of the Penal Code. - Bernama

Wednesday March 28, 2012

Feedmill factory ordered to stop work

By S. ARULLDAS
news@thestar.com.my

NIBONG TEBAL: A feedmill factory has been ordered to stop work following the collapse of a seven-storey silo containing 1,000 tonnes of corn in Sungai Bakap.

The order was issued after officers from the Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) and the De­­partment of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) visited the scene yesterday.
A second order was issued to dismantle four other silos within three weeks due to damage after the collapse of the first structure at 9.35am on Monday.
MPSP councillor Teoh Seang Hooi said the move was to en-sure the safety of the workers and residents in the area as the factory is located in Valdor New Village in Sungai Bakap, which houses more than 450 families.
State DOSH director Mohd Anuar Embi said the remaining part of the collapsed silo that was still standing posed a danger to workers and residents in the area.
Contractor Chu Kheng Tiam, 29, who was tasked to remove the remaining part of the silo, said about four to five days were needed to clear the damage.
House owner Low Moi Key, 65, said the impact of the incident had resulted in cracks appearing on his wall and on the floor tiles.
“The corns that spilled into my living room reached almost a metre high,” he said.
Village Security and Deve­lopment Committee chairman Chai Koh Yoo, 65, said the residents had urged the authorities to relocate the factory as it was not suitable for it to be located in a residential area.
The factory management could not be reached for comment.

Published: Tuesday March 27, 2012 MYT 3:30:00 PM
Updated: Tuesday March 27, 2012 MYT 4:02:26 PM

Flash floods in Klang after heavy downpour

By A. RUBAN

KLANG: Flash floods hit various parts of the town here and its surrounding areas Tuesday morning following a heavy downpour.

The heavy rain, which lasted about two hours, saw floods in Pandamaran, Port Klang, Bukit Tinggi and Taman Sentosa. Motorists were also caught in traffic jams after certain stretches of roads were hit by the flash floods.
Klang MCA Youth chief Ching Eu Boon said the floods were an ongoing problem here and the state government had not given due consideration to it.
“The floods are, in fact, due to garbage clogging the drains. Action must be taken fast before the situation worsens.
"Many residents called me and complained about damage due to the floods,” he said.

Tuesday March 27, 2012

Almost drowned in corn

By S. ARULLDAS
north@thestar.com.my

NIBONG TEBAL: A feedmill factory's seven-storey silo with more than 1,000 tonnes of corn collapsed and spilled its contents onto the road at the Valdor New Village in Sungai Bakap here.

A woman on a bicycle and another on a motorcycle with her five-year-old son sustained minor injuries when they were swamped by the corn while riding along the road.
Teh Poh Lian, 60, said she was cycling past the silo at 9.35am yesterday when she heard a loud bang.

Corn field: Workers trying to salvage the more than 1,000 tonnes of corn spilled on the ground when a seven-storey high silo collapsed at a feedmill factory in Valdor New Village in Sungai Bakap, Penang. —MUSTAFA AHMAD/The Star .

“I saw waves' of corn coming towards me. I tried to cycle fast but failed. I then fell on the road when the corn, which was meant for animal feed, struck me.

“The corn on the road was almost a metre high. My bicycle was totally covered but the feedmill workers found it while clearing the road,” she said at the scene.

According to Robinson Low, 26, this was the second such incident. The first happened on March 13 when a silo also collapsed but the corn did not spill onto the road.
“The latest incident was worse as there was a cloud of dust which lingered in the air for a few minutes before it cleared.

 A-maize-ing: People taking a closer look at the corn outside a house at the Valdor New Village in Sungai Bakap Monday.

“My family has been living in this area for the past 20 years and we have never encountered such an incident before,” he said.
Sungai Bakap fire station officer Mohd Affendi Ishak said two fire engines with six men rushed to the scene within five minutes of being alerted by the villagers.
“We immediately inspected the heap of corn to ensure that no one was trapped beneath it.”
South Seberang Prai OCPD Supt Shafien Mamat said police were checking on the cause of the silo's collapse.

Tuesday March 27, 2012

Raging winds damage 60 houses in Jitra

JITRA: Strong winds wreaked havoc at six villages here, damaging more than 60 houses.

Trees were uprooted, walls came crumbling down and roofs crashed as the winds raged through the villages between 4.30pm and 6pm on Sunday.
Villager Abdullah Hashim, 72, from Kampung Kemuning Lama, said the winds uprooted a mango tree and sent it crashing down at the front door of his house.
He was in the house with his wife, daughter and two grandchildren when it happened.

 After the fury: Ahmad Abdullah, 61, and his wife Che Om Man, 58, inspecting their storm-ravaged house in Taman Seri Kemuning in Jitra, Kedah, Monday.

“I was in my room when I heard a lot of screaming,” he said.
His grand-daughter Nor Shahirah Nazarud-din, four, was trying to shut the door, which was wide open after a portion of the wall collapsed.
“I managed to pull her away in the nick of time,” said the girl's mother Rozmawati Abdullah, 30.
In Taman Seri Kemuning, resident Mohd Hakimi Ahmad, 21, said he grabbed his young niece and rushed her to the back of his parents' house when the ceiling came crashing down at about 5pm.
He said water was seeping in through the ceiling and he was rolling the carpet when he heard a loud noise coming from the roof.
“I immediately grabbed Nor Syafikah Diyana and ran to the back of the house just before the ceiling came down,” he said.
Besides Kampung Kemuning Lama and Taman Seri Kemuning, the other affected areas were Kampung Kemuning Baru, Kampung Teluk Berangan, Kampung Salid and Pekan Tunjang.
Kubang Pasu MP Datuk Mohd Johari Baharum, who visited the victims, said they would be given immediate aid.
“For those whose homes were badly damaged, we will hire contractors to carry out repairs,” he said yesterday.
He added that he had informed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak about the incident, saying he would seek funds from the National Security Council to help the victims.

Tuesday March 27, 2012

Hour-long storm wreaks havoc in Sandakan

SANDAKAN: An hour-long thunderstorm wreaked havoc in the town here and caused several areas to be flooded.

The storm, which began at 9pm, brought heavy rain and strong winds, while the BDC Light Industrial Estate and main roads such as Jalan Utara, Jalan Labuk and Jalan Leila were flooded. Flash floods also hit other low-lying areas, including housing estates off Jalan Tiga, Jalan Dua and Lorong Dua.
The strong winds brought down trees and blew off roofs of houses at coastal villages, while parts of the district were also hit by a power failure.
OCPD Asst Comm Rowell Marong said there were no reports of injuries.

Wednesday August 24, 2011

Many fall for Bukit Aman scam

By AUSTIN CAMOENS
austin@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: We have heard of the Nigerian 419 scam, the AL-Globo lottery scam, but the Bukit Aman scam must surely be the mother of all scams.
A syndicate posing as police officers from Bukit Aman has been ripping off unsuspecting victims of hundreds of thousands of ringgit by claiming that they are being investigated for alleged money laundering.
Their latest victim is an elderly woman who lost about RM260,000.
Relating the ordeal, the woman who only wanted to be known as Margeret, in her 60s, said she received a phone call on Aug 18 from a man claiming to be a police inspector from Bukit Aman.
She said the “officer” told her that she was being investigated by the Hong Kong police over dealings with two drug dealers there.
“The officer told me that if I did not cooperate fully with police investigations, I would be extradited to Hong Kong to face charges for the offence,” she told The Star yesterday.
Margeret said the officer then passed to her the number of a senior police investigator in Hong Kong to verify the matter.
“I called the number given and a man claiming to be a police officer warned me that I was being investigated together with 28 other people for alleged dealings with drug dealers there,” she said, adding that the man told her to cooperate fully with the police here.
She said she then received another call from a senior police inspector in Bukit Aman who asked her to transfer all her money into an account provided by them.
“They said this was to help them verify that the funds were not linked to drug dealers in Hong Kong,” she said, adding that she transferred a total of RM260,000 from five separate banks to the police here.
Margeret said the officer told her to transfer any additional funds she had to facilitate police investigations failing which she would be arrested.
“I told them that I had an additional RM128,000 in a fixed deposit account in Temerloh, but I could not withdraw the money until the next day.”
Fearing something was amiss, she lodged a police report with the Mentakab police.
Federal Commercial Crimes Investigations Department (CCID) deputy director Deputy Comm Datuk Tajuddin Md Isa said police were investigating the case and appealed to the public to contact Bukit Aman to verify the calls.

Wednesday August 24, 2011

Coach falls prey to con men while in London

By RASHVINJEET S.BEDI
rashvin@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian fell victim to con men posing as policemen in London, losing almost US$600 (RM1,800).
Muhammad Sahir A. Rahim, 29, the Malaysian optimist sailing team coach, was on his way to a park to join the team for training when the incident occurred on Aug 12.
As Sahir needed to use the toilet, he told the team to go ahead. He left about 10 minutes later to the park located near Malaysia Hall in central London, where the team was staying.
As he was walking, a tourist who looked Eastern European came up to him and asked for directions.
A few seconds later, another two foreign-looking men came up to them. They produced police badges and asked both of them for their passports and wallets for identification.
“The other tourist gave his wallet. I saw them taking out money and putting it back. It didn't feel right, but they wanted to see some identification,” said Sahir in an interview from Langkawi, where he is based.
As Sahir had left his passport behind, he handed over his wallet.
“I saw them taking out money and putting it back quickly,” he said.
He then returned to Malaysia Hall and asked the reception if the police ever conducted such checks on tourists, and was told about a similar modus operandi used by criminals in the area.
Upon checking, Sahir found about US$600 missing from his wallet.

Published: Wednesday August 24, 2011 MYT 9:05:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday August 24, 2011 MYT 9:19:56 PM

S'gor police launch smartphone app for SOS calls

By AUSTIN CAMOENS

SHAH ALAM: Facing danger and need to call the police pronto? Just press the SOS key on your smartphone and they can locate you wherever you are, thanks to a new app (application) co-developed by Selangor police.

The app, dubbed MyDistress, is compatible with Android, Apple, Symbian and Java and Blackberry smartphone operating systems, said Deputy Supt Mohamed Mokhsein Mohamed Zon, the officer in charge of the project.

"We co-developed the application with mobile phone software developer Convep Mobilogy Sdn Bhd.

"The purpose is to assist members of the public who may need our assistance in high-risk situations like robberies, break-ins, abduction and even kidnapping," he said, adding that it took a year to develop the app.

DSP Mohamed Mokhsein said the app, when activated, was capable of transmitting the GPS coordinates of any individual who had installed it in his smartphone.

Meanwhile, Selangor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah said the app could be used for free within the eight police districts in Selangor until January next year.

He added that the app would cost RM2 monthly from next year.

The app can downloaded into smartphones at mydistress.net.

Thursday August 25, 2011

Doctor found murdered with head decapitated

BENTONG: A doctor was brutally murdered and his head decapitated at a farm here.
Dr Harjit Singh, 61, was found dead inside a hut in his farm in Kg Sertik at about 8pm on Tuesday.
A 31-year-old man, said to be a farm helper, has been arrested to assist in investigations.
Dr Harjit is the brother-in-law of Kuala Lumpur deputy police chief SAC Datuk Amar Singh.
Bentong acting OCPD Deputy Supt Mohd Mansor Mohd Nor said when police reached the scene at 11.30pm they found Dr Harjit's head on a chair beside his body.
Pahang CID chief SAC T. Narenasegaran said Dr Harjit was a contract doctor at a prison here.
Police found a machete at the scene which was believed to have been used by the suspect to chop off the head, said SAC Narenasegaran.