Hallmark Of Contract Killing As Teacher Is Shot Dead At Road Junction

KULIM, July 18 (Bernama) -- In what smacks of a contract killing, a teacher who slowed down his car at a traffic light intersection was shot dead at close range in Simpang Empat Keladi here today. One of two men on a motorcycle fired several shots at K. Shanmugam, 45, as his Toyota Wish skidded and rammed into another vehicle in the incident at 12.25pm. Earlier, the victim was on his way to his workplace at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Berapit, Bukit Mertajam from his house in Taman Bidara. Kedah CID chief ACP Mohd Nashir Ya said that unknown to Shanmugam, two men on a motorcycle were believed to tailed him closely on the right side of the car. "When the car slowed down upon approaching the traffic light intersection, the gunman fired several shots at Shanmugam, hitting him in the head and body. "The teacher lost control of the car which skidded and crashed into a car in front. The gunman and his accomplice sped away in the machine," he told reporters at the scene of the killing. Asked whether the killing was the work of hired killers, Mohd Nashir said the police were investigating that angle, and the motive behind the murder. Shanmugam's body was sent to the Kulim Hospital.

Meanwhile, Mat Lin Saad, 62, whose Perodua Viva was rammed from behind by Shanmugam's Toyota Wish after the teacher was gunned down, said he initially thought someone had let off firecrackers when the collision occurred. "I alighted from my car to check the extent of the damage, only to see the bloodied victim struggling in pain before he died of the gunshot wounds as a crowd surrounded our cars," he said. Another witness, Zulkiffli Itam, 45, said that during the incident, he saw two men on a motorcycle, tailing Shanmugam before the machine sped towards Taman Selasih after the victim was shot. -- BERNAMA

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18 July 2013| last updated at 06:10PM

School teacher gunned down

By RAHMAT KHAIRULRIJAL | news@nst.com.my

KULIM: A secondary school teacher was killed after being shot nine times at point blank range by an unidentified gunman here today.
The victim, K. Shanmugam, 45, from Taman Bidara was travelling in his silver Toyota Wish when he stopped at a red light near Simpang Empat Keladi here.

A witness who wanted to be known as Mat Lin said in the 12.20pm incident, two men on a black Yamaha LC motorcycle approached the left side of the vehicle before one of them whipped out a gun and fired nine shots, hitting the victim.

"I knew about the incident after the victim's car, which was behind my car, suddenly moved forward and hit my bumper," he said.

A police spokesman said Shanmugam was found dead at the front passenger seat of the vehicle, succumbing to injuries from multiple gunshots.

The spokesman said the assailant was believed to be armed with a 9mm automatic pistol and police had retrieved nine bullet shells at the scene.

The motive for the shooting has yet to be determined and the case has been classified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

Teacher shot dead at traffic lights

Posted on 18 July 2013 - 08:27pm

Edmund newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Lee

Print KULIM (July 18, 2013): A secondary school teacher was shot dead by gunmen when he stopped his vehicle at a traffic light in Simpang Empat Keladi here today afternoon. In the 12.25pm incident, K. Shanmugan of Taman Biadara was waiting for the light to turn green when two men wearing full-face helmets on a motorcycle rode up next to his car. They shot the 45-year-old several times through the window on the driver's side before fleeing the scene. Kedah CID chief ACP Mohd Nashir Ya said police believe the weapon used was an automatic pistol based on the number of shots fired. It is learnt that nine 9mm bullet casings were recovered at the scene. "Police are pursuing all the leads," he told the media at the scene when asked about the motive for the killing. It is understood that police are currently interviewing witnesses to piece together what transpired at the scene. Shanmugan's body was sent to the Sultan Abdul Halim hospital in Sungai Petani here for a postmortem. His murder follows that of shop assistant K. Thangaraja, 31, who was shot 10 times at the traffic light junction in Taman Kucai, Lunas, at 8.40pm on May 11. Both cases are being investigated for murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code which carries the mandatory death penalty.