Kuih seller charged with murder of cop
GEORGE TOWN: A kuih seller was charged in the Magistrate's Court here on Friday with the murder of a policeman, last week.
Mohd Arafat Taufik, 35, nodded his head after the charge was read out to him before magistrate Jamaliah Abd Manap.
However, no plea was recorded from the accused as murder cases come under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
Mohd Arafat was charged with causing the death of Constable Muhammad Iqbal Mazlan, at Jalan Utama here, between 1am and 2am, on April 17.
According to the charge sheet, the accused was alleged to have ridden his motorcycle in a reckless manner before ramming into the victim's motorcycle, causing him to fall and resulting in his death.
Mohd Arafat was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.
The court set June 23 for mention pending the documentation process.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Yazid Mustaqim Roslan appeared for the prosecution while the accused was represented by lawyer, G. Shanmugam.
On April 18, the media reported that Muhammad Iqbal, 22, and two other policemen were patrolling around Jalan Scotland at 1 am when they came across a man who was riding his motorcycle in a suspicious manner.
The police then asked the man to stop but he accelerated till Jalan Utama in a reckless manner before ramming into Muhammad Iqbal's motorcycle, causing the victim to fall and hit his head on the pavement.