PRESENT POINT POWER

Crime does not pay and it was his choice to end his life this way

Stephen Yau G.T., an old hand and knew both sides of the law was waiting for an “easy robbery” at the Esso petrol service station (in Taman Shamelin Perkasa) at about 12.45 pm. He acted alone well aware of the principle "less men more share".

ABOVE & BELOW: The usual crowd at a robbery scene (Esso Station), who would go away when the Police finished their jobs

When the RM50,000 in cash (the day’s collection) was transferred to the Cisco Security personnel, he confronted them and pulled off the robbery. He rushed off to his parked car in trying to escape (see picture)

ABOVE: The getaway car a MYVII, most probably a stolen one.

and barely held on to the bag of cash for 30 seconds when the security guards fired two shots at him and missed. In quick succession two more shots were fired and he was gunned down and ended his crime life.

He preferred the "easy & quick get rich" life of drugs and needed some pocket money when he attempted his last one. There is a saying “going up the mountains too often, one would encounter a tiger eventually”. How can a robber retired as the loot eventually dries up and as one needs to roll the "next one just like the other one" for a junkie.

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ABOVE; ACP Ramli birefing newsmen on "what happened"

From decorated cop to... dead robber; 01 Dec 2006; Tony Emmanuel, NST

KUALA LUMPUR: He was once among the best that the police had to offer: A man who could be trusted to give his life for the law. But a love for the good life took him down the wrong road after he left the elite Special Action Squad (UTK). On Wednesday, Stephen Yau G.T., who had saved numerous lives and who had several commendation letters to his credit, was gunned down as he tried to flee with RM50,000 from an Esso station in Taman Shamelin Perkasa. The policeman who had once served the nation with distinction took two shots and died soon after.

An autopsy at the Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia mortuary yesterday confirmed what police had suspected after the incident. Fingerprint verification erased all doubts on the identify of the robber.

The dead body off to the nearest hospital (HUKM, in Bandar Tun Razak) for a post mortem

Yau had been recognised by police officers as he lay on the ground after the robbery, which saw him trying to get away with the petrol station’s earnings. Almost 48 hours after the incident, investigators are beginning to understand that their respected former colleague had switched sides after leaving the force in 1994. It appears that Yau, whose feats included the UTK storming of a criminal’s hideout in Damansara Heights in 1993 and the shootout with Bentong Kali, had been lured by the big money in the underworld. The man, who had a penchant for Mercedes Benz, claimed to be a successful businessman purportedly overseeing numerous licensed money-lending activities. In reality, he may have been "an enforcer" for the upper echelon of organised crime. Investigators, looking back into files, are unearthing another side of Yau. Yau may have been involved in the December 2003 "table talk" between rival gangs after the notorious Johor-based Hai Loong Wong (Sea Dragon King) triad tried to set up their base in Klang. Police disrupted the negotiations with numerous seizures, including weapons and amphetamine type stimulant pills. Hai Loong Wong members earned their reputation for reputedly specialising in psychological intimidation of debtors. There were instances involving women who were stripped, photographed and threatened by threats of such photographs being made public if they failed to settle debts. The triad had tried to move operations to Klang following a vacuum created after a reputed underworld kingpin was murdered in an execution-style shooting at a restaurant in Jalan Imbi in January that year. Several days after the police raid, seven men, including the triad boss, were charged with kidnapping a businesswoman and holding her for a RM200,000 ransom. Two of the accused also faced an additional charge of outraging the modesty of the woman. Police believe the incident could have been related to territorial control, as the victim was a close relative of Yau. Yau appears to have left the police force under a cloud when he resigned after being asked to appear before an internal inquiry investigating dadah trafficking activities. The inquiry came about after police learnt of a sudden surge in the availability of dadah on the clandestine network at below market prices. Yau’s tactical team was involved in several raids which led to large heroin seizures. The inquiry then was to establish whether the heroin seizures logged commensurated with what was found at scenes of police raids. Police are convinced they will find numerous other instances of Yau’s involvement in organised crime as they go through their files over the last 12 years.