JOHOR BARU • A Singaporean company director wanted in connection with last month's chemical pollution in Sungai Kim Kim, near Pasir Gudang, has surrendered to the police, Bernama news agency reported yesterday.

Johor police deputy chief Mohd Kamaruddin Md Din said the 49-year-old man turned himself in at the Seri Alam district police headquarters yesterday morning.

The suspect is being detained at the police lockup, he said.

Investigation papers have been referred to the office of the Johor State Prosecution Director, he said in a statement.

The man was put on the wanted list and the help of Singapore authorities was sought to track him down.

The toxic chemical dumping case in Pasir Gudang led to more than 3,500 people falling ill and forced 111 schools to close, triggering an intensive clean-up of the river and inspections on other sites where chemicals had been illegally stored and dumped.

Two directors and a lorry driver have already been charged with being involved in the dumping of chemical waste into Sungai Kim Kim.

They are Singaporean Wang Jin Chao, 34, and Malaysians Yap Yoke Liang, 36, and N. Maridass, 35, the lorry driver.

The trio have pleaded not guilty.