21 charged with being members of Gang 04

GEORGE TOWN: Twenty-one men including a teenager were yesterday charged with being members of an organised crime group known as ‘Geng 04 India Penang'.

Twenty of them were charged in the Sessions Court here while one accused, B. Kannan, 47, was charged at the Penang Hospital (HPP) because he is undergoing treatment for epilepsy.

The accused, aged 17 to 57, nodded they understood after the charge was read out to them by a court interpreter in Tamil before Judge Norsalha Datuk Hamzah, but no plea was recorded.

The 20 are K. Janagan Nair, 17, David Charles Anthony Dass, 21, G. Devathirran, 23, K. Gogulan Nair, 23, S. George Sabatian, 23, S. Pavithren, 23, E. Vimaleshwar, 26, G. T. Thinagaraju, 29, K. Murali, 33, S. Somasundram, 34, S. Thannimalai, 35, S. Gunaseelan, 35, R. Jeegendran, 37, G.G. Prabakaran, 39, L. Luke Stevenson, 41, S. Manivenam, 42, P. Muneesparan, 50, R.M. Balakrishnan, 56, G. Selvarajoo, 57, and S. Ragindran, 57.

All of them were charged with being members of the organised crime group in the Northeast district of Penang from Jan 1, 2015 to July 29 this year.

They are charged under Subsection 130V (1) of the Penal Code which provides for a jail term of 20 years upon conviction.

All the accused were not allowed bail and Norsalha set Sept 14 for mention.

Deputy public prosecutors Saiful Edris Zainuddin and Muhammad Fadzlan Mohd Noor appeared for the prosecution while only 12 accused were represented. Bernama