DOUBLE MURDER: Ramasandram and Bakiam were killed shortly after a motorcycle incident
It started with a motorcycle accident.
The murder of tappers L. Ramasandram, 57, and his wife, A. Bakiam, 51, apparently occurred because of a misunderstanding earlier this year when Ramasandram was involved in a road accident with a 16-year-old boy, a police source told The Malay Mail.
The boy was one of seven suspects arrested in the case.
The source said both parties were injured but the boy's motorcycle was badly damaged, so his family harboured revenge.
As the two families lived in the same area, the boy's father, a 44-year-old bus operator, who is the prime suspect, began monitoring Ramasandram's movements.
With the discovery of two parangs in Sungai Selangor Rasa, believed to be the murder weapons, police have now closed the case.
Selangor deputy police chief SAC Datuk A. Thaiveegan, when asked about the case yesterday, said police divers fished out the weapons on Wednesday evening.
"The parangs were discovered one kilometre away from the crime scene — a dirt road in a durian orchard in Batu 30, Ulu Yam Lama in Batang Kali," he said.
Thaiveegan said the first arrest was made two days after the murder when five men were picked up in Batang Kali and Kampung Rasa.
"Three of them have past criminal records. Of the three, two were bonded under the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 in Ulu Yam for crimes, which include robberies."
He said the prime suspect and his son, who is a school dropout, were among the first arrested.
"On Oct 3, police arrested two more suspects, aged 25 and 31, in Kampung Rasa. Although they do not have criminal records, one of them tested positive for syabu," said Thaiveegan.
Police believe they have solved the case with the arrests and the discovery of the parangs.
Investigation papers have been submitted to the deputy public prosecutor's office in Putrajaya and police are awaiting orders to charge the suspects.
The case was investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, which carries the death penalty on conviction.
On Sept 28, the bodies of Ramasandram and Bakiam were found sprawled on the road near the orchard around 5.30am.
Ramasandram had serious injuries on his head and five fingers on his right hand had been severed. Bakiam's wrist was almost severed and her head slashed.
The couple had apparently left their home around 5am to tap rubber at the farm, some two kilometres away from their house.
