KUALA LUMPUR: Police have arrested a banana orchard entrepreneur and his son, believed to be the man who recorded a video of himself shooting a caged monkey in cold blood.
The 54-year-old entrepreneur, who owns the firearm, was arrested together with his 19-year-old son at their resident in Taman Kenangan in Setiawan, Perak at 9pm last night.
Perak police chief Datuk Razarudin Husain said in the raid, Manjung police headquarters’ Crime Investigation Division also seized a Glock .38 auto, believed to have been used to shoot the monkey.
“The entrepreneur, who is also a former member of the Royal Malaysian Navy, said he obtained a licence for the firearm because he wanted to safeguard his banana orchard in Lambor Kiri, Bota in Perak.
“Based on initial investigation, the entrepreneur said he was not involved in the shooting but informed the police that the suspect in the video looked a lot like his son,” he said.
Razarudin said the son, who is now the main suspect in the case, admitted to have taken the gun while his father was asleep.
“He (the suspect) claimed to have taken the cage far away from the orchard for fun. After firing one shot, the cage and the monkey’s carcass were tossed into Sungai Bota,” said Razarudin, adding that the investigation is ongoing under Section 39 of the Firearms Act 1960 and Section 428 of the Penal Code.
It was reported recently that a man recorded a video of himself shooting a caged monkey in cold blood.
The 19-second video featured the man forcing the monkey to call him "baby sayang" on the count of three before firing a shot at the animal's head.
The video, which has gone viral on social media, had received widespread condemnation from netizens, politician and animal activists alike.