In a joint statement, their lawyers Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh said evidence supporting a murder investigation had been “overwhelming from the start”.

“This included the audio of the incident, the pathologist’s findings conveyed to us, as well as photographs.

“The families are relieved that the authorities have finally classified it correctly as murder. It is the right thing to do,” they said.

The lawyers also expressed hope for a swift, efficient and impartial probe under Section 302.

“The families, the widows, parents and children of those who were killed cannot get back their loved ones, but at the very least they are entitled to justice under the law,” they added.

The AGC had earlier announced that it had ordered the investigation into the deaths of the three men to be reclassified as murder following a briefing by the police and recommendations that were submitted.

The trio were shot dead by Melaka police, who claimed that they were serial robbers who had attacked an officer with a parang. Melaka police initially investigated the incident for attempted murder.

However, lawyers representing the families of M Puspanathan, 21, T Poovaneswaran, 24, and G Logeswaran, 29, said an audio recording and forensic evidence suggested that the men were killed “execution-style”.