PETALING JAYA, Dec 15 — Lawyers representing the families of three men killed in the Durian Tunggal shooting have urged Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail and Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to place the Melaka police chief, Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar, on garden leave or transfer him out of the state, citing concerns that his continued involvement could compromise the integrity of the investigation.
Lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan said that if the case is genuinely being investigated by a Bukit Aman Special Task Force, as claimed, then Dzulkhairi’s ongoing public statements and actions amount to interference.
“If Bukit Aman is truly investigating, his continued interference compromises the integrity of the investigation. We have fully cooperated with the police — we handed over the audio recording, gave our statements, and provided all the evidence. And yet, this is how the victims are treated,” he said at a press conference today.
He also said they have received no updates or official statements from the federal police.
Instead, he explained all public information has continued to come from Dzulkhairi.
“Where are Bukit Aman’s statements? Who is heading this special task force, and why is the name being kept secret?
“The Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) has stated that this investigation must be transparent. Where is the transparency? Everything remains shrouded in darkness. The Melaka police chief continues to issue daily statements.
“Three individuals have been killed in cold blood. Has this case been classified under Section 302? If not, what exactly is being investigated?” he asked.
He further questioned whether the apparent lack of transparency was due to the alleged perpetrators being police officers themselves, while the investigation is also being handled by police.
The lawyer also condemned recent remarks by Dzulkhairi questioning the marital status of the deceased’s wife, describing the comments as irrelevant and amounting to victim-blaming.
“She is also a victim. Her husband has just been killed. Whether she was legally married or traditionally married in a temple has nothing to do with the killing of three individuals.
“This is victim-blaming. It is illogical and completely unacceptable,” he said.
Newly obtained evidence in relation to the killing of the three victims of the Durian Tunggal police shooting. — Picture by Choo Choy May
Rajesh then rejected claims that the deceased’s wife has a criminal record, describing the allegation as categorically false and misleading.
He then challenged Dzulkhairi to produce proof if he insisted the claim was true.
“A criminal record only exists when a person has been charged, tried, and convicted in a court of law. Being investigated by police or giving statements does not amount to a criminal record.
“Many lawyers, including senior lawyers present here, have been investigated countless times. That does not make them criminals. If the Melaka Police Chief insists this is true, we challenge him to produce proof — which court, which charge, which conviction? This claim defies logic,” he said.
Separately, activist Arun Dorasamy revealed that he had received a letter from a whistleblower, together with photographs, which he said provided crucial evidence contradicting the official police timeline.
According to the letter, a PLUS patrol detected a car stalled at kilometre 224 of the PLUS Highway and subsequently alerted tow truck operators to provide assistance.
The first tow truck operator arrived at the scene at about 1.25am, a timing that matches the lawyers’ earlier assertions.
The whistleblower claimed that upon arriving, the tow truck operator witnessed police officers beating and forcibly pulling the victims from the vehicle.
When the tow truck operator stopped and attempted to approach the scene, police officers allegedly shouted at him using abusive language, told him it was police business, and ordered him to leave while making threatening gestures.
The tow truck operator later informed other drivers about what he had seen.
A second individual arrived at the scene at 2.21am and found only the victims’ vehicle, a Proton Saga with registration number CCP 7208, parked at the emergency bay on the highway — a location that matches the area later examined by forensic teams and Bukit Aman officers.
Arun said the individual then photographed the car without touching or interfering with it, solely to document the date and time.
The photographs were taken at 2.21am on November 24, according to the letter.
The wives of the victims of the Durian Tunggal police shooting at the press conference, December 15, 2025. — Picture by Choo Choy May
The same vehicle was later reported to have been found at Ladang Kelapa Sawit Taman Tambun.
The whistleblower said he was initially unaware that the car he photographed was linked to the Durian Tunggal murder case.
Upon realising this several days later, he felt morally obliged to come forward and submit the information, despite fears of being identified.
Photographs of the vehicle’s interior also showed a walkie-talkie and a mobile phone on the floor, later confirmed to belong to Logeswaran, aged 29, according to his wife, who was present at the press conference.
“The letter clearly stipulates exactly what happened. More importantly, it confirms the existence of CCTV footage. PLUS Highway detected a stalled vehicle and broadcast the information to tow truck groups. That alone confirms CCTV coverage exists,” he said.
Arun added that he and the lawyers subsequently visited the site and confirmed a CCTV camera near the emergency bay.
He also confirmed that eight police officers were present at the scene, travelling in three vehicles — an Aruz, a Saga, and a Waja.
“Previously, we released audio recordings. Now we have substantiated it with photographic evidence. This is extremely damning material,” he said.
On November 24, three men — Puspanathan Murulitharan, 21, Poonesvaran Tiagrajan, 24, and Logeswaran Georgie, 29 — were shot dead by police at a palm oil plantation in Durian Tunggal, Melaka.
The 4.30am incident left the officer, in his early 30s, with serious injuries to his left arm.
Dzulkhairi had earlier said that all suspects, believed to be members of the Durian Tunggal Gang, were en route to commit a robbery.
The gang was reportedly active since 2024, implicated in 20 cases in Melaka and one each in Negeri Sembilan and Selangor, with total losses amounting to RM1.35 million.
However, on December 3, the families of the three men denied claims that the victims had acted violently or attacked the police.
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