Assaulted Veteran Journo Hopes Cops Nab All Suspects To Establish Real Motive

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Veteran journalist Haresh Deol today expressed hope that police would manage to nab all the individuals who assaulted him on Tuesday to get a clear picture of what actually transpired.
This followed Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus saying that Haresh was a victim of mistaken identity, where one of the assailants actually wanted to target another man who allegedly harassed his wife.
"I would like to say that I'm confident that the police are carrying out a thorough investigation.
"But let's just be reminded that so far only one suspect has been nabbed, correct?
"So, I think to come up with any conclusion, you need to nab all of the suspects involved," he told Malaysiakini this morning.
One of the suspects in the assault case against Haresh DeolIt was reported that three individuals set upon Haresh on Tuesday afternoon when he was walking towards his car in Bangsar. One of the suspects was also said to be filming the attack using his phone.
There were speculations that the attack on Haresh, co-founder of online news portal Twentytwo13, could be linked to his critical stance on issues, including the citizenship controversy involving the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
Police have since arrested one man suspected of being involved in the incident, and he is expected to be charged at the Kuala Lumpur courts today.
Personal motive
Yesterday, Fadil reportedly said the initial investigation showed the attack on Haresh in Bangsar stemmed from a personal motive over the alleged harassment of the suspect's wife.
KL police chief Fadil Marsus"This incident appears to be personal in nature, and the suspect had actually mistaken the victim's identity," the police chief reportedly told reporters after an event in Kuala Lumpur.
According to Haresh, after the assailants punched and kicked him repeatedly for about one minute, one of them was heard saying "jangan kacau bini orang" (don’t harass other people’s wife).
Puzzled by the remark, the journalist said he managed to shout back, asking "bini siapa, isteri siapa" (whose wife, whose wife) to the man who then fled the scene.
Haresh denied that he has ever been involved with another man's wife, stressing that he is happily married and has no time for such activity.
"My wife is with me all the time because she is also the managing editor of our company. We work together.
"I am a workaholic... if anyone wants to accuse me of anything, they can accuse me of being a workaholic," he said. - Mkini

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