By DERRICK VINESH and M. SIVANANTHA SHARMA
north@thestar.com.my
Forensic officers searching for clues at the scene where Kannan and Suresh were killed.
BUTTERWORTH: Four friends had been planning a trip to Penang for a month. They would never have imagined that it would turn out to be fatal.
The four were leaving a wedding reception here when a gunman on a motorcycle ambushed their pick-up truck, killing two of them.
S. Kannan, 37, who operated a security business in Batu Berendam, Malacca, and barber G. Suresh, 28, died at 10.30pm on Sunday at a traffic light junction in Bukit Tambun, south Seberang Prai.
Their two other friends known only as Ravi, 38, and Mariappan, 58, were injured in the chest and shoulder, respectively.
S. Kannan
They are warded at the intensive care unit of the Seberang Jaya Hospital.
Penang police chief Deputy CommDatuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi said the men were waiting for the light to turn green when two men on a motorcycle stopped next to their vehicle.
“One of them whipped out an automatic pistol and opened fire.
“Four bullet casings were found at the scene,” he said, adding that police had yet to establish the motive of the shooting.
He urged witnesses or those with information to call the Rakan COP hotline (04-2691999) or any police station.
S. Sasitharan, 33, said his brother Kannan had been planning for the trip with his three friends.
“They left Malacca at about 6pm on Saturday to attend our cousin’s wedding reception at a restaurant on Sunday night.
“I believe they were on their way back after the reception when the tragedy happened.
“Kannan was a caring and jovial guy. I am going to miss him a lot,” said Sasitharan outside the hospital mortuary yesterday.
G. Suresh
Sasitharan, a cattle farm operator, said his brother, who drove the vehicle, had seven gunshot wounds while Suresh had two.
Suresh’s brother G. Mahendar Kumar, 23, also a barber, said Suresh was a sociable person who was well-liked by many, adding that he hardly travelled outside Malacca.
“I could not believe it when I first received the news at about 11.30pm on Sunday,” he said.
He said the funeral for both Kannan and Suresh would be jointly held in Tebong, Alor Gajah, today.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Crime Watch Taskforce (MyWatch) chairman R. Sri Sanjeevan, who was at the hospital, urged the police to set up a task force to look into crime cases related to the usage of firearms.
“In Malaysia, the possession of firearms without a valid licence is a serious offence. It involves the mandatory death sentence,” he said, adding that there had been a number of cases involving firearms of late.
“Where are all these firearms coming from?” he asked.
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