KUALA LUMPUR: The mission entrusted to Detective Corporal R. Sanghadevan was fraught with danger.
Rumours that an armed group of criminals were camped out in Bukit Jenalik in Sauk had to be investigated and Sanghadevan, a Special Branch detective, was tasked with investigating what was going on.
He set out with Detective Sergeant Mohd Shah Ahmad. They were both stationed at the Kuala Kangsar police headquarters at the time.
As it turned out, Bukit Jenalik had been turned into a stronghold for a militant group called Al-Maunah.
The group had only a few days prior impersonated army officers to enter military bases, making off with weapons, including assault rifles, and communications equipment.
Their aim was to overthrow the government by armed and bloody means, and even to bomb breweries as they considered these an affront to Islam.
In the course of their reconnaissance mission, Sanghadevan and Shah were captured by the militants.
In order to put an end to the Al-Maunah threat, a joint operation manned by police commandos and the army, called Op Subuh, was launched.
In July 2000, the threat had been ended by Op Subuh, but not before three people were killed.
Sangadhevan was one of them. Having endured severe mental and physical torture, he was executed by gunshot to the head.
Also killed were army commando, Trooper Mathew Medan, and one militant who was shot by security forces in the lead-up to the storming of the Al-Maunah camp.
Sanghadevan, who began his career as a constable and received his training at the Kuala Lumpur police training centre, was awarded the nation's second-highest award for valour, the Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB), on Dec 27, 2001.
His sacrifice, dedication and bravery were honoured by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at the time, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail.
He was also posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant by the then inspector-general of police, Tan Sri Norian Mai.
The arrests of the Al-Maunah group members, including its leader, Amin Razali, led to several being charged with committing high treason and waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Fifteen of Amin's followers who were directly involved in the heist were sentenced to life imprisonment, while the rest were given 10-year sentences.
Amin and three of his lieutenants were sentenced to death and hanged in 2006.
A pantomime of Op Subuh was put on by current security force members at the Warriors Day celebrations in Dataran Putrajaya.
Present among those watching was Sanghadevan's son, R. Baladevan, who followed in his father's footsteps and joined the force.
Baladevan, who currently holds the rank of inspector, told Bernama that his father's sacrifice in the bloody Sauk tragedy was a source of inspiration for him.
Baladevan, the second of six siblings, said that after he had completed his studies, he immediately decided to join the police force, a decision that was supported completely by his mother, S. Malligarani.
His younger brother later also joined the force, emphasising the commitment the family has to the civil service.