Father alleges police twisting incident

By Wani Muthiah, The Star

Things are getting tense in the case of housewife R. Seetha who consumed weedkiller after her brother was killed in a police shootout. Her father is now alleging that police had made her sign a letter saying her suicide attempt was not related to her brother’s death.

Rumours were also flying that her husband M. Manimaran had been arrested.

Klang OCPD Asst Comm Mohamed Mat Yusop dismissed the rumours yesterday saying Klang police took Manimaran, 35, to his father’s house as well as his home in Gemencheh to check whether the weedkiller had come from either house.

Saying police had not found any weedkiller at her parents’ home in Kampung Berempat, Kapar, where the incident occurred, he said she might have brought it from her home in Gemencheh.

On Nov 12, Seetha, 33, had given Darshini, nine, Usha Rani, seven, Yugendran, five and Navina, three, drinks laced with weedkiller before downing a cup of the concoction herself. They are currently at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital here.

Seetha, who had come to Klang to attend her younger brother Surenthiran’s funeral earlier last week, was said to have been very depressed over his death.

Surenthiran, 24, was one of five suspected robbers and alleged member of the PCO Boy gang killed during a police shootout on Nov 7.

Contacted at about 8pm yesterday, Manimaran was on his way to Malacca for dinner with the four policemen who had taken him to Gemencheh.

“We left the hospital at about 11.30am and first went to my father’s house where police took away a pesticide pump belonging to my uncle before going to my house,” said Manimaran.

Seetha’s elder brother Balasingam, 35, said they now believed Seetha had planned the suicide before coming for Surenthiran’s funeral but were perplexed as to why she would poison her children as well.

Her father R. Ramapathy, 61, has lodged a report at the hospital’s police beat unit yesterday that the police was trying to “twist” the incident.

“They want to make it look as if Seetha had not tried to kill herself and her children because of her brother’s death.”

He also claimed hospital authorities were barring them from seeing Seetha and the children, adding the police had no business dragging Manimaran away from the hospital when he should be at his family’s side.

Meanwhile, in Petaling Jaya, Selangor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said the force was investigating the purported letter that is now causing tension, reports LOURDES CHARLES.

“We know who the person (who instigated the family to lodge a police report) is. We will investigate the matter thoroughly and if we have sufficient evidence, we will take the person to court.

“It is such people who create animosity and hatred towards the force,” he said in denying police had forced Seetha to sign such a letter.

DCP Khalid said police had only recorded her statement two days ago and they would see her again when she was better.