Cops may have fumbled in missing pastor case, says ex-IGP

KUALA LUMPUR: There might have been “lapses” by police in their initial investigation into the abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh, said Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

The former Inspector-General of Police was agreeing to points raised by lawyer Gurdial Singh who is representing Koh’s family at a public inquiry by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) into the disappearance of the pastor and three other people in separate incidents.

One of the points raised by Gurdial was that it was Pastor Koh’s children instead of the police who obtained CCTV recordings of the abduction from the houses near where the incident occurred.

“They are ordinary citizens doing the work the police should have done,” he remarked to Khalid during the inquiry.

Khalid agreed with him that this was not acceptable conduct by the investigators.

Asked why police focused more on the alleged proselytisation of Muslims by Koh, Khalid said they had to investigate every lead and look at the case in its entirety.

“But that doesn’t take us away from the main investigation of the abduction,” he added.

The investigators had to delve into the background of the pastor and his activities, added Khalid who retired from the force in September.

Koh, 62, was abducted from his car by a group of men along Jalan SS4B/10 in Petaling Jaya at about 11am on Feb 13 while on his way to a friend’s house.

His silver-coloured car bearing the licence plate ST5515D has not been found.

The inquiry resumes on Nov 2.