SHAH ALAM, May 23 — The father of one of the three victims who died in a crash involving a cement lorry at Kilometre 34 of the Karak Highway heading towards Kuala Lumpur earlier today shared that his son had intended to get married next year.

Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader, 62, a prominent lawyer, said his son Adli Hakim Akberdin, 24, a student at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), had planned to marry his close friend Athirah Najwa Mohd Tajul Ashikin, 27, who was also seriously injured in the incident.

“The girl who was badly injured (Athirah Najwa) was supposed to be my son’s future wife, and we had already planned for them to get married next year,” he said when met at the Section 21 Muslim Cemetery here yesterday.

In the 2.15am incident, the Volkswagen Golf car carrying Adli Hakim and three others was believed to have skidded before being involved in a crash.

Ameer Ashraf Khairul Annuar, 24, and Afiq Jamal Abdul Nasir, 26, also perished, while Athirah Najwa was admitted to the Selayang Hospital.

Akberdin said he only learned about the incident after his eldest son received a call from a friend of the victims who was travelling in another vehicle following them on the way back from Genting Highlands.

“I rushed to the scene with my eldest son, and when we arrived, fire and rescue personnel as well as paramedics were already carrying out rescue operations to extricate the victims trapped in the vehicle,” he said.

He said paramedics later confirmed that the three men had died at the scene, while Athirah Najwa, who was still breathing, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

Akberdin added that the family was continuing to pray for the woman’s recovery, noting that she had reportedly regained consciousness from a coma and had begun asking about the incident.

Meanwhile, Akberdin said Adli Hakin, his fifth child, was a good-natured, obedient son who was well-liked by family members.

He said the last time they spent time together was on Sunday during a family holiday in Genting Highlands.

The remains of Adli Hakim were sent for post-mortem at 3pm and later taken to the Section 7 Mosque here for funeral rites, where hundreds of worshippers attended the prayers before he was laid to rest at 6.05pm, with more than 200 family members and close friends in attendance, including Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay. — Bernama

SHAH ALAM, May 22 — A debt collector who became the subject of a police manhunt over a sexual assault case involving a teenage boy pleaded guilty in separate courts here today to a string of offences, including physical sexual assault, wrongful confinement, causing hurt, robbery and drug use.

Mohamad Fadwan Abd Muaain, 42, had pleaded guilty before Sessions Court judge Rasyihah Ghazali to a charge of physically sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy at an apartment in Section 32 here between 8.05am and 11.50am on May 11.

The offence, punishable under Section 14(d) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.

Judge Rasyihah fixed June 8 for the presentation of facts and sentencing in proceedings conducted by deputy public prosecutor KS Rinisha Priya, while the accused was unrepresented.

In a separate Magistrate’s Court, Mohamad Fadwan was sentenced to a total of 15 months’ imprisonment by Magistrate Wan Noora Nisa Ngadrin after pleading guilty to wrongfully confining and causing injury to the same teenager.

Wan Noora Nisa ordered the single father to serve nine months’ jail for wrongful confinement and six months for causing hurt, with both sentences to run consecutively from today.

According to the first charge, Mohamad Fadwan was accused of wrongfully confining the teenager by tying up the victim’s hands and legs at the apartment between 8.05am and 11.50am on May 11.

For the second charge, he was accused of intentionally causing injury to the teenager at the same location and time.

The offences were framed under Section 342 and Section 323 of the Penal Code, respectively, which provide penalties of up to one year’s imprisonment, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both.

During proceedings, Wan Noora Nisa questioned the accused over his failure to consider the trauma suffered by the victim, to which he replied that his actions were aimed at obtaining information from the teenager to break into the victim’s house and steal gold.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Nur Amirah Zahari, while the accused was represented by a lawyer from the National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK).

It was reported that the teenager had been lured to the apartment by the suspect under the pretext of helping to carry items in exchange for a mobile internet package. He was arrested last Sunday at a rented room in Kuala Lumpur.

Meanwhile, before another Sessions Court, Mohamad Fadwan pleaded guilty to robbing Indonesian national Aminah Yeni Fernata at an empty shophouse in Kota Kemuning, Section 31 here at 8.45am on May 8.

During proceedings before Judge Hasniah Ab Razak, Deputy Public Prosecutor Hoo Zee Xing sought a heavy sentence as a lesson to the accused.

However, the former prisoner unexpectedly asked the court to impose the heaviest punishment possible on him.

Hasniah then sentenced him to six years’ imprisonment from today and three strokes of the cane under Section 394 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years, whipping or a fine.

In another Magistrate’s Court, Mohamad Fadwan also pleaded guilty before Magistrate Cynthia Noor Haizean Sulaiman to three additional charges of impersonating a police officer, stealing the motorcycle ridden by Aminah Yeni and consuming drugs.

The court sentenced him to six months’ jail for impersonating a police officer and one year’s imprisonment for motorcycle theft, with both sentences ordered to run concurrently from the date of his arrest on May 15.

For the drug offence under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, the court fixed August 5 for mention pending a pathology report. — Bernama

* If you are experiencing sexual violence, the following hotlines offer free and confidential support: Talian Kasih at 15999 or WhatsApp 019-2615999 (24/7); All Women’s Action Society at 016-2374221/016-2284221 (9.30am-5.30pm); and Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) at 03-30008858 or SMS/WhatsApp TINA 018-9888058 (24/7)

SHAH ALAM, May 22 — The Selangor state government has allocated RM20 million to cover half of the tuition fees for 4,000 Selangor-born students pursuing their studies at three state-owned higher education institutions.

Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the three institutions are Universiti Islam Selangor (UIS), Universiti Selangor (UNISEL), and Selangor Technical Skills Development Centre (STDC).

“So far, only two states have the capacity to implement such initiative, Sarawak, which fully covers the cost, and Selangor, which bears half of the tuition fees. We are the only state in Peninsular Malaysia capable of doing this, at a cost of nearly RM20 million,” he said.

He said this at the Selangor People’s Tuition (PTRS) and Didik Kasih (PDK) 2026 programme in Section 7, here today.

Amirudin said the cost of providing quality education and high-level skills training today is substantial, but the state government views it as a long-term investment to produce a well-balanced younger generation in terms of physical, mental, and spiritual development.

He said if the format proves successful, the state government will consider fully sponsoring students enrolling in these institutions.

“Insya-Allah, in the future, if this format and programme succeed, we are prepared to implement free education for eligible students at Selangor’s higher learning institutions. We want to prove that free education is not an impossible dream,” he said.

In a separate development, Amirudin said this year’s PTRS programme has seen significant improvements, targeting 180,000 primary and secondary school students in Selangor, compared with its initial phase in 2009.

Of the total, 160,000 are Form 4 and Form 5 students who are given access to free tuition as well as food assistance.

“The remaining 20,000 participants are involved in a new intervention initiative, the Didik Kasih programme (PDK), which focuses on Year 1 pupils in remedial classes to strengthen basic literacy and numeracy skills.

“This year’s approach not only addresses academic aspects, but also includes emotional and mental well-being management programmes. We aim to build motivation, high self-esteem, and a positive mindset, as most of them come from families facing difficult circumstances,” he said.

In terms of module quality, Amirudin said regular reviews are conducted by a special task force comprising former State Education Department officers and a panel of expert teachers to ensure the content is on par with commercial tuition providers. — Bernama

SHAH ALAM, May 21 — Former Damansara MP Tony Pua today confirmed he has provided a witness statement to police over his Facebook post on the Rukun Negara.

Pua said he was contacted by Shah Alam district police at about 1.30pm to arrange the appointment under Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

“It was an investigation under Section 505 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act,” he said.

Pua said he was told the investigation followed more than 80 police reports lodged nationwide, with the first made in Sri Muda, Shah Alam.

“As part of the statement, I affirmed that I had written the Facebook post myself, without duress from any other parties. When asked of the intent of the post, I responded that it was to share my views of Rukun Negara. When asked of the meaning of the post, I replied that it was per what was written,” he said.

He added that he would wait to see if authorities take further action.

SHAH ALAM, May 21 — The RM20 million motorcycle lane upgrade project on the Federal Highway (FT002) has now reached 43 per cent and is expected to be fully completed by August.

Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the high-impact project also includes the installation of lighting facilities worth RM6 million to illuminate the entire stretch for the safety of riders.

“This project was approved under Rolling Plan 5 (RP5) of the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (12MP) by the Ministry of Economy, now its implementation has gone beyond the initial phase of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) and we hope it will be fully completed in August.

“Of the total allocation of RM20 million approved, RM6 million was specifically used to install more than 800 Integrated solar LED (ISLED) solar lights to brighten the road at night,” he said.

He said this after inspecting several project sites through the Field Trip Programme to the Federal Highway Motorcycle Lane Upgrade Project in Batu Tiga, here today.

According to Nanta, the project covers 48 kilometres (km) two-way stretch involving the Klang District along 7km starting from Section 10.4 to 13.9 and the Petaling District along 41km from Section 13.9 to 34.4.

He said the Selangor Public Works Department (JKR) is also carrying out work to repair the road surface, tunnels, bridge railings, replace road barriers and build special shelter facilities.

“Looking at the survey earlier, I am satisfied with the progress of the work that has begun and it will continue in stages including the road paving phase which will be done in the final stage later.

“The main focus now is the construction and expansion of drains because this motorcycle lane has several black spot areas that have often experienced flooding problems before,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nanta said the original design of the motorcycle lane built in the 70s was only able to accommodate a capacity of around 20,000 users per day, thus causing the lane to now face an issue of excess capacity.

Further commenting, the latest data shows that around 35,000 motorcyclists use the lane every day, causing a very high amount of traffic.

“When the original design had exceeded capacity, its use became very dense and therefore we carried out the upgrading and expansion of the drainage system to ensure that the traffic flow was orderly and safe.

“We really hope that motorcyclists will take full advantage of this provided route when it is completed and no longer use the main road (highway) to avoid accidents,” he said.

In the same development, Nanta also confirmed that his party is conducting a detailed study to identify motorcycle routes on other highways, especially in urban areas that have similar structures for the purpose of upgrading.

He said the ongoing measures reflect the ministry’s commitment under the MyJalan programme and the core values of Malaysia Madani to ensure that the aspects of connectivity, accessibility and mobility of the people’s road safety continue to be improved. — Bernama

SHAH ALAM, May 21 — Police arrested eight local men, including school students, believed to have been involved in a fight near a national secondary school in Klang on May 19.

Klang Selatan District Police Chief ACP Lim Jit Huey said all the suspects, aged between 14 and 24, were detained by a police team from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Klang Selatan District Police Headquarters (IPD) immediately after receiving a report regarding the incident at 1.00am yesterday.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that some of those arrested are still school students, while the rest are youths who are no longer in school,” he said in a statement today.

Lim added that the cause and motive of the fight is believed to have started from a misunderstanding and teasing between the two groups of youths.

He also emphasised that the incident did not involve any elements of secret societies or any gangster groups.

“A remand application under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code for all those arrested will be made at the Klang Magistrates’ Court today to assist in completing the investigation,” he said.

The case is being investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code, and if convicted, offenders can face a maximum prison sentence of two years, a fine, or both.

Lim also advised the public not to make any speculations or spread unverified information on social media, which could cause public anxiety and affect the investigation process.

He also urged members of the public who have any information regarding the incident to come forward and report it directly to the Klang Selatan IPD or any nearby police station to assist with the investigation. — Bernama

SHAH ALAM, May 21 — Police arrested eight local men, including school students, believed to have been involved in a fight near a national secondary school in Klang on May 19.

Klang Selatan District Police Chief ACP Lim Jit Huey said all the suspects, aged between 14 and 24, were detained by a police team from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Klang Selatan District Police Headquarters (IPD) immediately after receiving a report regarding the incident at 1.00am yesterday.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that some of those arrested are still school students, while the rest are youths who are no longer in school,” he said in a statement today.

Lim added that the cause and motive of the fight is believed to have started from a misunderstanding and teasing between the two groups of youths.

He also emphasised that the incident did not involve any elements of secret societies or any gangster groups.

“A remand application under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code for all those arrested will be made at the Klang Magistrates’ Court today to assist in completing the investigation,” he said.

The case is being investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code, and if convicted, offenders can face a maximum prison sentence of two years, a fine, or both.

Lim also advised the public not to make any speculations or spread unverified information on social media, which could cause public anxiety and affect the investigation process.

He also urged members of the public who have any information regarding the incident to come forward and report it directly to the Klang Selatan IPD or any nearby police station to assist with the investigation. — Bernama

SHAH ALAM, May 21 — Police arrested 43 individuals, including a local citizen, believed to be involved in four separate call centre syndicates following several raids around Shah Alam and Puchong on May 19 and yesterday.

Selangor Police Chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said that through the arrests at a two-story bungalow in Setia Alam here on May 19, police detained 13 foreigners and a local citizen believed to be involved in a part-time job offer scam targeting Iraqi nationals.

“Following the arrest of all the men, aged between 19 and 41, police also seized 20 units of smartphones, 12 units of computer sets, and two vehicles, with a total estimated value of RM123,000,” he said during a press conference at the Selangor Contingent Police Headquarters Senior Officers’ Mess today.

Meanwhile, Shazeli said police also arrested 29 foreigners, including two women, in three separate raids conducted between 11.00pm and 1.20am at Bandar 16 Sierra, Puchong, on May 19 and yesterday.

He added that the arrests involving three separate syndicates included suspects aged between 18 and 63, and that all these suspects operated out of three-story townhouse residences located close to one another.

“Investigations revealed that these syndicates were running investment scams as well as collecting financial information obtained from fraudulent activities,” he said.

Shazeli noted that the seized items for all three cases amounted to RM69,000, which included laptops, Wi-Fi routers, and smartphones.

Based on preliminary investigations, he said the syndicates are believed to have conducted online scams targeting citizens of Peru and China.

Commenting further, he stated that all four cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code and Section 120B of the Penal Code, while all suspects have been remanded for four days until May 23. — Bernama