Give facts, not fiction: Indira's lawyer slams IGP's 'assurances'

Malaysiakini : M Indira Gandhi’s lawyer has not taken kindly to the police’s recent assurance that it will ramp up efforts to locate her ex-husband, Riduan Abdullah.

In a scathing statement yesterday, Indira’s counsel Rajesh Nagarajan took aim at Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Khalid Ismail’s appeal for the public to refrain from speculating on the matter.

“After 16 years of broken promises, the police cannot continue asking the public ‘not to speculate’ when speculation is all they themselves have offered. “Indira and her children have been failed repeatedly. It is time for the police to stop issuing excuses and start producing results,” Rajesh said.

Yesterday, Khalid said efforts to locate Riduan are ongoing, in line with the Ipoh High Court’s ruling for it to expand its search to a nationwide hunt for the man. Such efforts, the nation’s top cop said, include probes into allegations that an individual had “used Riduan’s identity” to claim government benefits, such as the Budi95 petrol subsidy and the Rahmah Necessities Aid (Sara).

Riduan Abdullah

“At the same time, checks will also be conducted with the Immigration Department to confirm the special travel restriction that remains in effect on the individual,” Khalid added.

However, checks by Malaysiakini on the Immigration Department’s travel status system last night showed no travel ban had been imposed on Riduan.

Commenting on Khalid’s remarks, Rajesh accused the IGP of issuing “deeply troubling” speculations on unconfirmed details while failing to present facts to back his stance.

“Instead of presenting evidence, the IGP is now speculating that ‘someone else’ may have used (Riduan’s) identity, without demonstrating that any proper investigation has been carried out. “Basic steps such as verifying CCTV footage and transaction trails should have been completed weeks ago,” the lawyer insisted.

Asserting that Malaysians deserve “facts, not fiction”, Rajesh said the judiciary’s intervention is a testament to how the police investigations have been “narrow, ineffective, and directionless”.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail

Conversion, abduction, disappearance

On Nov 22, Indira and her supporters marched from Sogo to the Bukit Aman police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur to hand over a teddy bear belonging to her missing daughter, Prasana Diksa, to the IGP, in a symbolic demand for her daughter’s return.

Khalid, however, failed to show up, sparking criticisms from several parties, including Indira’s lawyer, who urged the home minister to censure the IGP.

The IGP’s statement yesterday did not address his no-show at the gathering, or whether he has intentions to meet with Indira.

Indira’s ongoing struggle began in 2009 when her ex-husband unilaterally converted their children to Islam, abducted Prasana, and disappeared.

The Ipoh High Court overturned the conversion of the three minors in 2013, ruling it violated natural justice since Indira’s consent was not obtained. The court also granted her full custody.

In 2018, the Federal Court ordered the IGP to arrest Riduan for defying the High Court’s directive to return their youngest daughter to her mother - a mandate which remains unfulfilled.

Steven Ong : Can give 200 millions to the Palestine but why can not give a reward of four millions to a whistleblowers? Is Indira's grief not an issue? Then how can it be a==a madani system?

Knucklehead : Dear Top Cop of Malaysia, Allow me to offer some simple advice on how to track him down: 

1. Check the petrol subsidy application records — his mobile number should be there. 

2. Work with the telco to pinpoint his location or at least his last known whereabouts. 

3. Deploy your detectives to monitor that area. 

Within a day or two, you’ll have him detected and nabbed. It’s really that straightforward. You can thank me later!

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