‘Make sure there is an answer’: Ipoh court gives police two more months to find Indira Gandhi’s ex-husband, daughter

IPOH, April 6 — The High Court today granted police an additional two months to obtain crucial information on the recent activities of M. Indira Gandhi’s ex-husband, Muhammad Riduan Abdullah, as authorities remain unable to locate him and her youngest daughter, Prasana Diksa, who will turn 18 on April 8.

Judicial Commissioner Norsharidah Awang fixed June 25 for the next judicial monitoring to update the court on the progress of enforcing the arrest warrant against Muhammad Riduan Abdullah.

“Make sure there is an answer on the issues raised at the next hearing,” she said.

Earlier, Federal Counsel Safiyyah Omar told the court that police had taken several steps to locate Muhammad Riduan.

Safiyyah said police had examined closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from a petrol station.

“However, forensic analysis found that the displayed images, vehicle registration number, and the facial image of the individual captured in the recording could not be clearly extracted.

“The police are also investigating the use of vehicles by Muhammad Riduan. A letter was sent to the relevant party on March 3, 2026, and police are still awaiting their report,” she said.

On the issue of Muhammad Riduan allegedly withdrawing funds from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Safiyyah said investigating officer Assistant Superintendent Yap Siew Cheng had sent a letter requesting information from the agency.

“However, EPF informed us that the requested information involves members’ data, and the Board of Trustees is bound to ensure that such information remains protected.

“Releasing the information without the consent of the EPF Board of Trustees would constitute a breach,” she said.

Safiyyah also said police had conducted checks with the Ministry of Health Malaysia, particularly in Kelantan, in an effort to locate Muhammad Riduan.

“However, there are no medical reports or records indicating that the suspect had sought any treatment. This information was only received earlier this morning from the Kelantan State Health Department,” she said.

M. Indira Gandhi (centre), her lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan (right) and Indira Gandhi Action Team (Ingat) chief Arun Dorasamy (left) speak to reporters at the High Court in Ipoh April 6, 2026. — Picture by John Bunyan

Meanwhile, Indira’s lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan told the court that information submitted by police in a recent affidavit appeared inconsistent with earlier filings.

He said the latest affidavit only provided details of a single refuelling instance dated October 24, 2025, whereas previous affidavits had identified multiple dates on which the individual was alleged to have refuelled.

Rajesh also pointed out discrepancies in the recorded timing for the October 24 incident.

“Earlier records indicated the refuelling took place at 12.57pm, while the latest affidavit showed an image or screenshot captured at 1.34pm,” he said.

Rajesh said the activities recently presented were largely similar to those submitted in previous affidavits.

“The police appear not to have actively pursued the individual despite the passage of 17 years,” he said.

Rajesh told the court it was unreasonable for police to claim they were unable to obtain information concerning EPF records.

“The individual in question is on the police wanted list, but appears to be living a normal daily life — owning two cars, receiving traffic summonses, making EPF withdrawals, and appearing to have used the RM100 SARA aid and the Budi95 targeted fuel subsidy.

“There are no restrictions or pressure from the police, and we are confident that the police have not been searching for him,” he added.

Yap, from the Perak police contingent’s Criminal Investigation Department, told the court that the EPF financial records sought could not be obtained as the agency cited statutory limitations in releasing the information.

She said despite formal requests accompanied by a court order, EPF maintained that such information could not be released to third parties, including law enforcement, without the consent of the account holder.

She said although nine instances of fuel purchases were identified across various petrol stations, only one transaction record dated October 24, 2025, was supported by available data.

“Checks conducted at the relevant premises showed that most CCTV records had already been automatically deleted after a retention period of between two weeks and one month, leaving only one station with retrievable footage.

“Applications have been made to the Finance Ministry for transaction records, but responses had yet to be received at the time of the hearing,” she said.

“Two vehicles were registered under his name, but both had expired road tax,” she added.