16 deny being Gang 360 members
> Accused charged amid tense situation at High Court
KUALA LUMPUR: It was at tense situation at the High Court here yesterday when 16 men were charged with being members of Gang 360 Devan.
The accused, aged between 24 and 48, were brought to the court at 8am and had their charges read to them.
The accused – D.R. Yasotaran, S. Manimaran, C. Murugan, L. Lengas Seperan, D.R. Yasothararaj, D. Sivanantha, A. Balan, M. Sathia Tamil Siva, P. Sures, P. Murugan, B. Ravindran, K. Ram Kumar, D. Manivannan, S. Logonanthan, S. Maran and M. Murugan – were charged under Section 130V(1) of the Penal Code.
They were charged with committing the offence at a company in Jalan Perniagaan Masria 1, Pusat Perniagaan Masria, Batu 9, Cheras, between Jan 1, 2015 and June 3. All pleaded not guilty. The accused were arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012 that does not allow bail.
If convicted, the accused face up to 20 years in jail.
They are being detained at the Sungai Buloh Prison. Earlier, some 100 family members of the accused filled the lobby area in front of the High Court in Jalan Duta.
They were allowed to watch the proceedings via a live broadcast on a large screen set up outside the court.
Only the lawyers, deputy public prosecutors and reporters were allowed to enter. Heavily-armed policemen with submachine guns were seen in the courtroom.
Deputy public prosecutor Saiful Idris Zainuddin, assisted by Mohamad Mustaffa P. Kunyalam and Muhammad Fadzlan Mohd Noor, later applied for a joint trial with 36 other accused who were previously charged with the same offence.
All 52 accused were charged at the Kajang sessions court. No plea was recorded. Justice Mohd Sofian Ab Razak then fixed Oct 2 and 6 for trial.
Among the lawyers were Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Datuk Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, Joanne Chua and Vijey Esvaran.
Gang 360 Devan, also said to be the notorious underworld Gang 36, has been linked to a spate of violent crimes, including high profile murders.