THE family of Janarthanan Vijayaratnam, who was gunned down by police last weekend, today provided air tickets and a luggage tag under the deceased’s name, to show proof that he had come into the country on August 27.

They were refuting a statement from police that there was no record that Janarthanan had entered the country after he was shot dead along with two others, Thavaselvan Govindaaamy and Maghendran, near Rawang in Selangor on Saturday.

Police had also said that Janarthanan was allegedly involved in a house break-in in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur on 2016, which his family had again denied, saying that he was in the UK at that time.  

Janarthanan, his wife Moganambal Govindasamy, and their children had come to visit their family in Malaysia on August 27. The family claimed they had been in the UK during the past six years and that this was their first visit here since 2013.

Moganambal, who was allegedly in the car with the three men who were shot dead by police, is still missing. Police, however, had said that there was no woman present when the shootout occurred.

This afternoon, Janarthanan’s son, 17-year-old Logitharan, told reporters that his family, including his father, arrived in Kuala Lumpur on August 27. He also showed the luggage tags and airline tickets under his father’s name.

“How can police claim that there was no evidence of him entering Malaysia?

“The last time we came to Malaysia was in 2013 and we had not visited the country until last August. How can my father be involved in a robbery case in Malaysia which took place in 2016, as he has been in Portsmouth, UK for the last six years?” he said.

Logitharan also provided tax bills from the Portsmouth City Council, which was billed under the name of Janarthanan.

“Police have been quick in proving my father was guilty of criminal activities. Why have they failed to detect my mother?

“My mother went out with my father, uncle and his friend. The three men were shot dead, but what happened to my mother?” Logitharan asked. 

Janarthanan’s stepfather Navaratnarajah Thiyagarajan, 53, expressed fears of coming to Malaysia after his stepson was killed for no reason at all.

Navaratnarajah, who had raised Janarthanan since he was three years old, said the deceased was a good son and a loving father.

“The last time I met him was in June when I had spent three weeks with his family in the UK,” he said.

“I know my son is innocent. They came here for a vacation but now my three grandchildren have become orphans.”

Navaratnarajah said the family was well off and Janarthanan worked as a manager in a UK supermarket.

“He has no need to come to Malaysia to rob,” he said.

“On top of killing him, they have labelled him a robber. Don’t tarnish the name of the dead.”

The family was at the office of their lawyer, M. Manoharan, who urged police to reveal the dash-cam recording from the police car when the shootout took place on September 14.

Manoharan also urged Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to put an end to incidents of police “playing God” and shooting suspected criminals.

Meanwhile, Selangor police chief Noor Azam Jamaludin said a missing person’s report has been lodged on Moganambal and police are investigating. – September 20, 2019.