Ayob Khan on fast track to become IGP?
Amid speculation that Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani has opted for early retirement, sources claimed that another senior officer is on the express lane to become number one.
Malaysiakini learnt that it may involve the fast-tracking of Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, who was recently moved to lead the federal police Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Ayob, like most of the Bukit Aman directors...
Amid speculation that Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani has opted for early retirement, sources claimed that another senior officer is on the express lane to become number one.
Malaysiakini learnt that it may involve the fast-tracking of Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, who was recently moved to lead the federal police Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Ayob (above), like most of the Bukit Aman directors, holds the rank of police commissioner and is said to be among several senior officers being considered for the Deputy IGP post.
While Acryl’s retirement, said to take effect soon - four months earlier than the expiry of his contract as the IGP - will see his deputy Razarudin Husain succeeding the top post, the latter is also on the job on a contract basis after having passed his retirement age in March.
According to sources within the force, this means Razarudin will be taking on another contract for his IGP post, with a length of service set by the government.
Sources suggested that Razarudin’s term as IGP may only be for a year, or possibly shorter, to set a path for Ayob to take over soon after.
This, according to a source close to the Johor royal family, may coincide with when Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar ascends to the federal throne as the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong in early 2024.
Malaysiakini has not been able to get official confirmation on the duration of Razarudin’s new contract, supposedly to begin right after Acryl steps down this week, and if Ayob will be appointed Deputy IGP as several top government officials contacted were tightlipped.
Royal favour
The source told Malaysiakini that it is not a secret that the Johor ruler has taken a liking for Ayob since the latter was posted to Johor as the state police chief in 2020.
“It is pretty obvious that Tuanku wants Ayob as IGP. Ayob has impressed Tuanku and showed his loyalty when he led the Johor police contingent,” said the source.
Sources claimed that Ayob has managed to impress Sultan Ibrahim with his professionalism on the job, wiping out notions that he might be on former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s side.
When Ayob’s posting to Johor was announced on Feb 6, 2020, Mahathir was the prime minister, who was widely known to be not on good terms with the Johor ruler.
“So, when Ayob was sent to Johor as the state police chief, many thought that he was sent by Mahathir due to the timing. Furthermore, he also hails from Kedah, so that added to the rumour.
“But Ayob had explained to Tuanku that he is not interested in getting involved with politics, and proved that by being professional.”
The source also claimed that he, among many others, have heard Sultan Ibrahim speak well of Ayob and his performance as the state police chief.
Ayob, 57, began his career in the police force in 1991 where he spent many years serving in the Special Branch.
He rose through the ranks and was trusted to lead the Special Branch’s Counter-Terrorism Division.
The Pendang-born officer was then sent to Johor as its police chief in 2020, before returning to Bukit Aman to lead its Anti-Narcotics Department in December 2021, and later moved to lead CID in April this year.
From counter-terrorism to anti-narcotics
Ayob’s name first came into the limelight when he was tasked with leading the prestigious police anti-terror unit, especially with his aggressive approach to dealing with potential threats by suspected subversive individuals or groups.
Among his achievements during the job include numerous arrests of suspected terrorists or supporters of terrorist groups such as the infamous Islamic State (IS), including cases where attempts to carry out attacks in the country were supposedly foiled.
One of the cases was when the Counter-Terrorism Division arrested 19 suspected terrorists inspired by IS in 2014, whom Ayob reportedly said had acquired bomb-making materials and allegedly planned to use them in attacks against several targets including a beer factory and pubs.
However, Ayob’s strong approaches also attracted criticism, especially the frequent use of preventive detention laws to arrest suspected terrorists.
During his tenure as the police anti-narcotics chief, Ayob had also brought the battle to drug syndicates by launching operations to arrest traffickers and pushers.
In January 2022, his first month on the job, Ayob reportedly said the department had arrested a total of 5,200 individuals during a three-day special operation, including 942 suspected drug traffickers.
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