“It is not meant to arrest people on a whim. These three are no criminals, otherwise I would not be defending them.

“They have no prior criminal records,” Manikavasagam said, alluding to the arrest of three men, said to be in their 20s, under Poca.

One of the detainees is also a disabled person, said the PKR man.

Manikavasagam, who is the former Kapar MP, was speaking to reporters after handing over a memorandum to Federal police in Bukit Aman today. Also present were the family members of one of the detainees, identified as Lingeswaran Rangasamy.

Manikavasagam said police also did not find any drugs when they raided the detainees’ homes in Bukit Rotan, Kuala Selangor in November last year.

“The three were also not informed what they were being detained for.”

The family of Lingeswaran said they will take legal action if is he was not released tomorrow.

Lingeswaran’s brother, Krishnasamy, said it was impossible for his brother to be involved in any crime as both of them went to work together daily.

“We work in a stationery shop. He follows me to work everyday, so I don’t see how he could have broken the law.”

He also said that Lingeswaran had been nabbed twice on suspicion of committing a crime but was released after police found no evidence.

Those detained under Poca can be detained without trial for up to two years.