Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department P. Waythamoorthy has raised doubts on whether the police have really acted out of self-defence when shooting the five gangsters in Penang on Monday.

Waythamoorthy claims he has seen the photos of the shootout victims and it is difficult to believe that there was a shootout that led to their deaths.

“Looking at the photos I do not think anyone with the right frame of mind would believe that there was actually a shoot-out between the police team and the suspects.

“The police appear to be giving a standard answer that they were shot at and they acted in self-defence. But the injuries do not describe a shootout. The photos show they were shot at point blank,” Waythamoorthy said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.

Waythamoorthy also said that it is baffling when the police linked the shootout to ten other murder cases.

“The Inspector General Police's (IGP) statement that they have conducted ballistic tests which linked the weapons to 10 other murder cases is shocking.

“One wonders how such tests could have been carried out at super speed and even if that was possible how it could be linked to 10 previous murders so hastily?” he asked.

Waythamoorthy urged the Attorney General to call for an inquest to determine the cause of death of the five youths.

“Evidences are still fresh and an immediate inquest would dispel the mistrust the community has on police investigating their own alleged misconduct,” he said.

On Monday, a shootout in a service apartment in Sungai Nibong left five men, believed to be 04 gang members, dead.

The men were believed to be members of the notorious Si Lian Kia (04) gang. They were also believed to be involved in the recent spate of shootings in Penang.

The five are J. Gohinath, 31, R. Ramesh, 27, A.Vinuvt, 23, M. Suresh, 25, and M. Gobinath, 21 .

All except M. Gobinath and Vinuvt had previous criminal records. Ramesh was also on the police wanted list.

IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar had said that there five were linked to 10 murder cases and two attempted murder cases in Penang, Kedah and Negri Sembilan.