A video recording of the funeral procession, showing a hearse passing through different parts of the city, had made its rounds on WhatsApp.

A man’s picture along with flowers spelling the number 36, said to be in reference to Geng 36, were displayed on the front of the vehicle.

According to Brickfields police chief Anuar Omar, medical officers from Hospital Kuala Lumpur confirmed that the deceased was a 28-year-old man who was killed in a road accident on Sunday.

He said police arrested five men, aged between 18 and 26, and seized several vehicles from five raids carried out between 9pm and 2.30am today.

In a statement, he said one of the five had a criminal record under Section 427 of the Penal Code.

“From the initial investigation, police found that the suspects and the deceased were childhood friends, and the deceased had requested for firecrackers to be lit if he passed away,” said Anuar.

The case is being investigated under Section 52(3) of the Societies Act 1966, Section 8 of the Explosives Act 1957, Section 269 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.