‘I didn’t say Sanjeevan’s friends were involved’
Khalid Abu Bakar backpaddles on a statement he gave to FMT yesterday, where he said the MyWatch chairman’s friends had masterminded his shooting on Saturday.
G. Vinod, FMT
Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar dismissed a FMT report which quoted him as saying that MyWatch chairman R Sri Sanjeevan’s friends were behind an attempt to take his life on Saturday.
Khalid said that all he told reporters at a press conference yesterday was that the police are still investigating who was responsible for the attempt on the anti-crime NGO chief’s life.
“I told reporters during a press conference yesterday to give us time to complete our probe into the matter. That was all,” Khalid was reported saying in Malaysiakini.
Yesterday, FMT reported the IGP as saying that those who shot Sanjeevan over the weekend were not hired killers but the anti crime watchdog’s friends.
“No, they are not hired killers. They are his friends,” Khalid told FMT. His response was based on a question posed to him by a FMT journalist after his press conference.
The FMT report did not state that he said it during his press conference.
Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) public relations officer ACP Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf urged news portal to rectify the report, claiming it could be exploited to portray a negative impression on the conduct of police investigations.
“The title of this report is not only inaccurate but it could also mislead readers into believing that the IGP had indeed said that the police knew for certain that the shooters were friends of Sanjeevan.
“This in turn, might be misconstrued by interested parties who could exploit the report to portray a negative impression on the conduct of police investigations,” said Ramli in a letter to FMT this morning.
Ramli added that he was present at the press conference, with 15 other reporters, and vouched for Khalid, saying the IGP never accused Sanjeevan’s friends of being involved in the shooting.
“Several journalists have asked me if the FMT report reflected what the IGP said because they had not heard such a statement made by him. Simply put, it’s not the truth,” said Ramli.
