The PKR man charged with abetment in the abduction of a property developer who was later found dead has been described as a “nice gentleman” and a staunch supporter of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Datuk K. Ramachandran, 50, who represented PKR in Batang Kali in the 2013 general election, is among six men who were charged at the Petaling Jaya magistrate’s court today over the abduction of Datuk Seri R. Arumugam, 55.
“I’m shocked really. I did some work for him for the 2013 general election and he was very humble and quite a nice gentleman during our dealings,” said a vendor who wished to remain anonymous.
“We did more work for him as he was also involved in campaigning for Anwar in Port Dickson two years ago. He is a staunch Anwar supporter.”
The other five – Azhari Shahrom Shaihmi, 56; Mohd Durai Abdullah, 52; Sheikh Ismail Sheikh Hassan, 26; N. Vickneswarar, 28, and a Bangladeshi, Kasi Nasrul, 42 – were charged with abducting Arumugam on June 10 with intent to hold him for ransom for SG$50 million. Arumugam’s body was found on June 27 at Batu 27, Jalan Rawang Bestari Jaya.
Ramachandran was charged under Section 109 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961. No plea was recorded from all the accused who face the death penalty, or life imprisonment and whipping.
The court fixed Aug 27 for mention.
Ramachandran, a Hulu Selangor PKR branch member, lost to Barisan Nasional’s Mat Nadzari Ahmad Dahlan in the 2013 general election. Mat Nadzari garnered 21,189 votes while Ramachandran obtained 15,791 votes.
“He is generally quite low-profile but is a familiar face in Bukit Beruntung and is active in social work in the area.”
In 2014, Ramachandran joined Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, in the race for PKR’s deputy president post but he eventually pulled out.
He identifies himself on his Facebook page as the director of Sri Veeran Engineering Works Sdn Bhd. Based in Rawang, the company is a refractory and mechanical service provider to cement, oil and gas, palm oil, steel and power plant industries.
Here’s a round-up of The News Normal today
ART HARUN QUITS AS EC CHAIRMAN
Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun resigned as Election Commission (EC) chairman effective June 29. The EC said Azhar’s resignation was communicated to Istana Negara on June 30, and was accepted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
Azhar’s deputy Dr Azmi Sharom will carry out his duties until a new EC chairman is appointed.
DRIVE-IN CINEMAS CAN OPERATE
Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob says drive-in cinemas are allowed to operate but standard operating procedures (SOPs) must be observed by them and patrons.
He said viewers must remain in their vehicles, the sale of food must be via drive-through while Rela personnel will be stationed to monitor and control movement in and around the area.
AIRASIA LIKELY TO GET RM1B FUNDING
AirAsia Group Bhd has received indications of funding support worth more than RM1 billion from financial institutions. Its chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said the airline was presented with various capital-raising proposals.
“We are in ongoing discussions with numerous parties, including investment banks, lenders, as well as interested investors in seeking a favourable outcome for the group,” he said.
MOTIVATE, INSPIRE RETIRING ATHLETES
Olympian Che Chew Chan is happy to help athletes transition into the corporate world once they retire, adding it would be best if they heard the good and bad from a fellow athlete.
