POLICE are tracking down 20 men, believed to be members of a secret society, who rioted during a wake at a funeral home in Johor Baru on Tuesday.

Johor police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat said a day before the incident, a man in his 30s with several previous convictions was shot dead in Taman Melodies.

“An investigation is underway to find out the motive for the murder. On Tuesday, during the wake for the deceased, a group of 20 individuals came and caused a ruckus at the funeral home, so efforts to trace them are underway,” he said at Johor police headquarters, today.

He said the cases are under investigation for murder and subsequently for rioting.

Police are also investigating whether the killing was related to the murder of a man at a petrol station in Taman Pelangi in 2017, Kamarul said.

On December 17, 2017, a man in his 30s was reportedly stabbed and run over by a car driven by four men at a petrol station in Taman Pelangi at 7.30 pm. His wife witnessed the attack.

In a separate case, Kamarul said police and the Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) are hunting for six members of the Suhaini Muhammad or Sihulk heretical group – in their 20s to 30s – after they allegedly insulted Islam and the Prophet Muhammad in a TikTok video recently.

“The six individuals involved have been identified and action will be taken by the Bukit Aman classified crime investigation unit.

“My advice is they had better surrender to police instead of letting the police come to them,” he said, adding that the faces of the perpetrators were clearly visible in the video.

On Tuesday, state Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid was reported to have said that JAINJ and police were tracking down members of the heretical Sihulk group. – Bernama, March 23, 2023.