(Thanks to Sarah Chan for the guest post, originally published last year as part of a longer article in Klue, 5 Most Infamous Pudu Jail Inmates. -ed.)

Botak Chin, real name Wong Swee Chin, was one of Malaysia’s most wanted criminals.

His first taste of the underworld was when he joined Gang 306, participating in his first armed robbery in April 19, 1969. He was caught once and sentenced to seven years in jail after committing eight robberies.

When he got out, he did try to make a decent living as a vegetable trader but found the earnings to be pitiful. He eventually went on to form his own gang with Ng Cheng Wong, Beh Kok Chin and Teh Bok Lay — robbing banks, running illegal gambling dens and initiating gang wars (with the Lima Jari Gunung gang).

It all went downhill for Botak Chin when they tried to assassinate assistant police commissioner S. Kulasingam, and failed. His attempt spurred the formation of The Dirty Dozen: 12 policemen who established a force to specifically capture Botak Chin. This lead to his arrest in February 1976 after a shoot-out where he was shot six times but survived.

Thrown into Pudu Jail under the Internal Security Act, he attempted escape in 1981 but failed. He was finally hung to death on 11 June 1981.

A movie on his life was in production, directed by Dain Said (who also directed Dukun, about Mona Fandey). No updates on how that’s going …

On this day..

• 1790: Seven officers of Papal Avignon
• 1942: Michael Kitzelmann
• 1916: Henri Herduin and Pierre Millant, "cry against military justice"
• Themed Set: The Calendar of Saints
• Feast Day of St. Barnabas
• 1877: George Washington Fletcher, Philadelphia goon
• 1561: 88 Calabrian Waldensians, like the slaughter of so many sheep
• 1948: Kiralyfalvi Miklos, Hungarian Catholic
• 1835: Captain Pedro Gilbert and the Spanish Pirates
• 1782: William Crawford, expeditioneer
• Themed Set: Ohio
• 1949: Koci Xoxe, Titoist
• 1725: John Gow and his pirate crew
• 2001: Timothy McVeigh, Oklahoma City bomber