Bentong Kali

Kalimuthu s/o Pakirisamy Thevar or P. Kalimuthu (22 January 1961 – 29 June 1993), known professionally as Bentong Kali, was a Malaysian criminal and gangster, who gained a national attention in the 1990s. He was implicated in 17 different murders, and terrorized the capital Kuala Lumpur through violence, extortion and heroin smuggling. He also made headlines when he challenged the police to arrest him. He was finally gunned down by Royal Malaysia Police's Special Actions Unit from Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur.

Personal life Bentong Kali was born to an Indian Tamil family in Bentong, Pahang. He was the eighth child out of his eleven siblings. He went to school until he dropped out in Form 1.

He was said to have a number of tattoos on his body.

Criminal career Bentong Kali’s criminal career started early in his childhood.

'Ops Buncit' In an attempt to capture Bentong Kali, posters of him and his crimes were put up in public places all over Malaysia. A bounty of RM100,000 was also advertised as a reward for information that would lead to his capture. His posters were also distributed to neighbouring countries such as Thailand. The manhunt for Bentong Kali was a 24/7 operation throughout the nation.

His remains was laid to rest on 2 July 1993, three days after his death. His last rites was performed by his son.

Legacy Bentong Kali’s life story was published in a book titled The Story of Bentong Kali: Crime and Society in 90s Kuala Lumpur, written by former New Straits Times journalist, Suganthi Supramaniam published by Gerakbudaya. The book was released on 23 August 2019.