WHEN police took M. Indira Gandhi’s statement last Thursday, it was the first time they have done so despite the former kindergarten teacher filing more than 20 reports against her former husband over the last decade.

Indira has spent the last 10 years fighting in the courts to nullify the conversion of her three children and get the youngest child, Prasana Diksa, back from Muhammad Riduan Abdullah, who converted the children to Islam without her consent.

She finally won her case when the Federal Court in January last year declared that the unilateral conversion of minors without both parents’ consent was illegal and affirmed her custody of Prasana, who is now 11.

Riduan, however, has defied a high court order to return Prasana, prompting Indira to lodge numerous reports against him over the years.

But only after her latest police report alleging that followers of Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik, PAS supporters and southern Thailand separatists are aiding Riduan to hide Prasana did police call her in for her statement.

“Indira has made 21 other police reports before this and this is the 22nd report,” said Arun Doraisamy, who is spokesman for the Indira Gandhi Action Team (Ingat), a group that has taken up her case to find Prasana.

“Yet, this was the first time she was ever called for her statement. This is what frustrates us,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Arun said Indira’s first police report over her husband’s move to convert the children was lodged in March 2009 but she was never called to have her statement recorded.

There was again no action on other occasions when she lodged more reports.

“She has also lodged a report against the inspector-general of police for not honouring the court’s mandamus order (for police to arrest Riduan) but no action was taken. 

“This has been the culture of PDRM all this while. This is the first time her statement was taken,” Arun said.

The mandamus order by the Ipoh High Court was issued in 2014, when Khalid Abu Bakar was then the IGP. He retired in September 2017.

Indira said she believed she was called in this time because she named Zakir’s followers.

“The police wanted to know the source of this information,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Arun said the information came from public tip-offs.

Mumbai-born preacher Zakir is wanted in India on money-laundering charges and is also said to have incited terrorist acts through his sermons. He has fled India and has been living in Malaysia, where he holds permanent residency.

But Indira said she felt more positive about the current IGP, Abdul Hamid Bador, who was appointed in May.

Hamid had been Special Branch director and was sidelined by the previous administration for criticising Najib Razak’s government over the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.

“I am glad the new IGP is taking a personal interest in this case. He is more interested than the last IGP.

“I’m happy that PDRM is finally looking, when before, nobody cared,” she said.

Hamid said yesterday he was taking a personal interest in Indira’s case and wanted to see mother and daughter reunited. 

He also said police are doubling their efforts to trace Riduan, although they have no leads on claims that Zakir’s followers and southern Thailand separatists are helping Riduan.

Arun, meanwhile, said Ingat and Indira Gandhi are planning a roadshow in to Penang, Kelantan and Perak next month to raise awareness there about her case.

Ingat believes that Riduan has remarried and has slipped across the border to southern Thailand.

Ingat has told police the group is willing to be part of a special task force searching for Riduan.

However, he said police have declined the request as it is a civilian group.

In a statement yesterday, Arun said Ingat has hired a private investigator to find Riduan and warned him to surrender to the police first.

“We are positive we can close in on Riduan in a matter of weeks,” he said, adding that Ingat would keep the police’s special task force informed of its findings.

Ingat is offering RM10,000 as a reward to those with information leading to Riduan’s arrest. – July 30, 2019.