SUNGAI PETANI: Police have obtained a six-day remand order against a 65-year-old man detained in connection with the fatal shooting of a Special Branch policeman during an operation near Compartment 124 of the Ulu Muda Forest Reserve yesterday.
The Sungai Petani magistrate's court granted the remand application beginning today to next Wednesday.
Earlier, a police van from the Sik district police headquarters that transported the suspect was spotted entering the Sungai Petani Courts Complex at about 11.45am.
Sik police chief Deputy Superintendent Abdull Razak Osman confirmed that police have obtained the six-day remand order against the suspect for further investigation.
It was reported yesterday the suspect was detained upon turning himself in to the police at about 2pm yesterday.
Razak was reported as saying that the 39-year-old policeman was shot while conducting an operation to probe trespassing and illegal hunting in the forest reserve.
He had said on Tuesday, a team from the state and Sik police headquarters Special Branch, along with state Forestry Department personnel and aided by civilians, have entered the Ulu Muda Forest Reserve area to investigate trespassing and illegal hunting in the area.
According to Razak, the team had spent the night in the forest reserve before the victim and the two civilians were believed to have gotten lost in the forest.
However, at 2am yesterday, members of the team heard a gunshot and the victim was later found with a wound at the front part of his body.
The victim was rushed to Sik Hospital, but was confirmed dead upon arrival there.
They all stayed overnight at Compartment 103. Yesterday, about 3pm, the victim along with two civilians reportedly moved to Compartment 124 within the forest reserve area, using a public vehicle for observation and investigation purposes.
"However, until 6.30pm yesterday, they had not returned to camp in Compartment 103," he told reporters at the district police headquarters.
Razak said efforts to locate them were then undertaken by other team members but they only found the vehicle they used at the junction between compartments 124 and 125.
Razak advised the public not to speculate on the case as police were still conducting investigations.