Kuala Lumpur: The High Court was informed today that Muhammed Yusoff Rawther could not open the driver’s side door of his Nissan Teana during a police raid at Bukit Kiara, where a black bag containing two fake firearms and lumps of drugs were found inside the car.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Insp Wan Muhammad Wan Ali, 37, of the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent, Special Investigation Division (D9), testified that the accused could only open the front passenger door manually using a key. During the raid led by Wan Muhammad at 9.25 am on Sept 6, 2024, the accused was detained while approaching the vehicle and was instructed to open the car door. Despite repeatedly pressing the remote control, the door could not be opened.
Wan Muhammad further instructed another officer to try opening another door while the accused continued pressing the remote control, but none of them could be opened. The accused was then directed to use the key to open the door manually, but attempts to pull open the driver’s door were unsuccessful. Eventually, the accused opened the front passenger door and then the driver’s side door from inside.
The first prosecution witness made this statement during the examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Mohd Sabri Othman during the trial of former political research assistant Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, who is facing charges of drug trafficking and possession of fake firearms. Previously, Wan Muhammad informed the court that a black bag containing two firearms was found under the front passenger seat during the vehicle search near a condominium. Additionally, compressed lumps believed to be cannabis were found under the back seat during further inspection.
Meanwhile, Wan Muhammad agreed with the suggestion made by defence counsel Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali that the remote control was not functioning when the accused approached the vehicle during the raid. He also confirmed that the accused had repeatedly pressed the remote in an attempt to open the door. The witness also agreed with the defence counsel that three other doors could not be opened by the officers, despite their attempts to pull them open.
Cpl Amirul Azwa Zahari, 38, another officer with the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent, Special Investigation Division (D9), agreed with the defence counsel that the accused appeared calm during the raid and his arrest the following day. The sixth prosecution witness also concurred with the defence’s assertion that the accused made no attempt to flee during the raid, nor was there any struggle or verbal abuse when he was detained.
Before the proceedings commenced, Judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin, accompanied by the court interpreter and staff, conducted an inspection of the Nissan Teana, which was parked in the basement level of the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, in the presence of the prosecution team and defence counsel. The handcuffed accused was also escorted by police to observe a demonstration conducted by Wan Muhammad, showing how the drugs and fake firearms were discovered in the vehicle.
Muhammed Yusoff is accused of trafficking 305 grammes of cannabis found in the vehicle he was in near the surau at the police contingent headquarters at 10.15 am on Sept 6, 2024. He was charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years and a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane upon conviction. He was also charged with possession of two fake firearms near a condominium on Jalan Bukit Kiara at 9.25 am on Sept 6, 2024, under Section 36(1) of the Firearms Act 1960, which provides for a maximum penalty of one year in prison or a fine not exceeding RM5,000, or both, upon conviction.
The trial will resume tomorrow.