Family members of three youths killed recently in a police shootout have raised further questions over the incident following their dissatisfaction with the police version of events.

TS Kopathie, brother of 24-year-old Puvaneswaran, lodged a report yesterday at the Brickfields police station claiming that the wounds that he saw on the three victims appeared inconsistent with police claims that they had been shot while trying to evade capture.

Kopathie, who had identified the three bodies at the Seremban Hospital mortuary last week, said the bodies of the victims were riddled with bruise marks in addition to gun shot wounds on the upper front sections of their bodies.

"I looked at their backs and there were no bullet wounds. How can this be when the police said they were running away?" he said to reporters during a press conference.

"For my brother, there were about four or five red bruises on the back of his body which looked like cane marks. His lips were also swollen and his nose bleeding."

Missing car

Kopathie also raised issue over a missing Proton Iswara which had been used by his brother on the night of the incident.

He said Puvaneswaran was last seen with V Vikines, 19, and T Katiravan, 25, driving a white Proton Iswara belonging to Puvaneswaran's employer.

However, he said the car has since "disappeared" following the incident since the police had claimed that the trio had been shot while escaping in a stolen red Proton Wira.

"My brother had been using the Iswara for the past three months. Now, the Iswara is missing and the police cannot tell us where it is," he said.

Kopathie's report is the third lodged over the deaths of the three youths. A report was lodged last week by Puvaneswaran's employer over his missing vehicle, while two other reports were lodged by the father and friend of Vikines alleging foul play over the deaths.

Suspected armed robbers

According to a Malay Mail report on Thursday, Federal Criminal Investigations Department Director Salleh Mat Som had said that he would not meet with Vikines' father, G Vesvanathan, who had requested for the police to provide proof that the 19-year-old had been involved in criminal activities.

Salleh was also quoted as saying that he was satisfied with the manner that the police operation was conducted and that there were no improper shooting by the police.

The police, in their report published on its official website , had claimed that the three men were shot after they open fired against police officers who ordered them to surrender.

The trio, who hailed from Klang, were also said to be responsible for a spate of armed robberies although this has been denied by their family members