BATU KAWAN: A body found by fishermen this morning near the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Bridge has been confirmed as 38 year-old Mohd Shukri Saad, a man who was previously convicted for cigarette smuggling.
Sukhri's corpse was spotted floating on the sea after a two-day search for him since Wednesday
Fishermen found him about one nautical mile from the bridge near Batu Maung on the island, and alerted the authorities.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) operations commander Mazli A Mutalib said the body was taken to the Batu Musang Jetty in Batu Kawan by an MMEA team. The remains were then sent to the Sungai Bakap Hospital for a post-mortem.
Mazli said the rescue team had mounted an aerial and water search to locate Shukri. His remains are believed to have been found with bricks tied to it.
Seberang Prai Selatan district police chief Superintendent Shafee Abdul Samad confirmed to the New Straits Times that the victim is Shukri.
In the Wednesday morning incident, Shukri abandoned his motorcycle on Km11 of the bridge heading to the island, and is believed to have leapt into the sea.
He was supposed to be at the Butterworth Sessions Court that day for proceedings related to the sale of contraband cigarettes.
Shukri left a note on his motorcycle, his personal identification number and next of kin details before he is believed to have jumped off the bridge.
The sundry shop owner from Tasek Gelugor, Butterworth, had also allegedly written on his Facebook page (under the guise of one 'Sukri Lahar Yooi') a message condemning the government and authorities for making him pay a hefty bail and fine.
The post went viral on social media
He posted seemingly “last words” to vent his frustration over having to fork out a RM4,000 fine for the "minor" offence of selling counterfeit cigarettes worth a mere RM200.
He claimed that even though his offence was minor, he was remanded for a week. He was released earlier because his third son passed away during his remand period, he wrote.
Shukri also said he owed his friend RM4,000 for the fine, which he paid because he did not want to go to jail.
According to the posting, Shukri had been arrested twice, once in 2012, when he was nabbed with RM160 worth of cigarettes, and another time in February, when he was caught with RM200 worth of cigarettes.
In an immediate comment, State Customs Department director Datuk Pudzi Man expressed his sympathy over Shukri's death.
He ruled the incident and described the episode as beyond the department's control.
"We extend our condolences to Shukri's family, but in our duty as civil servants, we have to uphold the law to continue curbing cigarette smuggling.
"We will liaise with the National Registration Department to get a copy of the death certificate before we refer the matter to legal authorities" he said.