MUHAMMAD Ikmal Abdul Razak could have been another statistic after he was struck on the head by a bicycle wheel chucked from the upper floors of PPR flats in Gombak Setia, Kuala Lumpur.

The 19-year-old escaped with a gash to the side of the head. He needed 15 stitches but lived to tell the tale.

Just 10 months ago, 15-year-old S. Satiswaran was killed at the Pantai Dalam PPR flats when someone threw a chair from the upper floors. He died in his mother’s arms while waiting for help to arrive.

The culprit in the two cases is yet to be caught. Both incidents were caused by mischief, a growing trend at the low-cost flats. Residents also frequently complain of rubbish being thrown from the upper floors. 

Ikmal, who works at a food delivery company, was with friends on the ground floor when the wheel, believed to be from a child’s bicycle, struck him on the side of his head.

“I was in a daze. A second ago I was shaking hands with my friend and the next second something had hit my head and I could not remember what I was doing,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“I just stood there; I asked my friends what had just happened and then sat down by the roadside.”

Ikmal was fortunate because a City Hall officer happened to be nearby and he was rushed to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital in a council van.

“I was very much conscious the whole time although my vision was blurry, and I had to tell myself to stay calm. 

“It was very painful but I told myself not to pass out,” he said.

His older brother, Ikram believed Ikmal was hit by the nail at the centre of the wheel. 

The wheel was taken to the Setapak police station where the authorities are trying to lift fingerprints of it.

Ikmal’s mother, Khadijah Abdullah, 51, said she was devastated when she saw the condition of her second son but was grateful not to have lost him. 

“I feel sad and angry. I hope the police can identify the person immediately; I want the person to be chased out of the PPR,” she said.

Satishwaran was not so fortunate and his family is still awaiting for answers.

His grief-stricken father, S. Satiaseelan said that for 10 months now, the police had given him the same answer each time he asked about the progress: “The case is still being investigated”.

Satiaseelan said he had tried to have the probe speeded up through various means but was unsuccessful.

“I have tried to engage lawyers through legal aid but I was told there’s nothing they could do,” he said.

“Recently I tried seeking help from Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil. He asked for the investigating officer’s number and I gave it to him.

“Let’s see how it goes. I do not know why is it taking the police so long to charge the person responsible.”

In March, police detained a 23-year-old woman. She was remanded, questioned and released on bail.

Satiaseelan’s family is not marking Deepavali this year.

“There is nothing to celebrate.

“I really hope there will be closure and I hope my sorrow will end when justice is served,” said the father. – November 6, 2018.