PETALING JAYA: A 42-year-old self-employed man was allegedly abducted, tortured and murdered following a dispute with individuals believed to have links to gang-related activities, before his body was buried in Semenyih.
Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said the case came to light after police arrested 15 people suspected of involvement in three separate cases involving kidnapping, murder and firearms-related offences.
He said the victim was allegedly abducted by several individuals travelling in a car at Ampang Waterfront between 4am and 4.30am on Sept 24.
The victim’s wife subsequently lodged a police report after he went missing, prompting police to launch search operations and gather intelligence to track him down.
“Based on the report received, we carried out operations that led to several initial arrests.
“On Sept 27, the investigation led us to a location in Semenyih, Kajang, where the victim had been killed and buried,” he said.
Shazeli said the victim was a local man who knew the suspects, adding that preliminary investigations pointed to a dispute between them as the motive for the crime.
He said the victim was believed to have been held at another residential property before his death, although investigators were unable to establish the exact time of the killing.
A post-mortem examination found that the cause of death was multiple sharp-force injuries to the neck.
Shazeli said the victim had sustained several other injuries, with the findings suggesting that he had been subjected to torture.
An operation involving the Selangor Contingent Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and CID teams from the Ampang and Kajang district police headquarters between Sept 24 and 27 resulted in the arrest of 15 suspects.
They comprised 12 local men, one local woman and two foreign men, aged between 20 and 48.
Background checks found that some of the suspects had previous criminal records, including offences involving narcotics, he said.
Police also seized two rifles, a Proton Wira car and a hoe believed to have been used to bury the victim.
Shazeli said investigations found that no ransom had been paid in connection with the case.
The suspects were charged in court on Oct 13, with charges filed in connection with the alleged kidnapping, murder and firearms-related offences.
For the kidnapping case, three suspects were charged under Section 365 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same code.
In the murder case, two suspects were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34, while another three were charged under Section 109, read together with Section 302 of the code.
Separately, three suspects were charged under Section 8(a) of the Arms Act 1960, read together with Section 36(1) of the same Act, in connection with firearms-related offences.
The two foreign suspects also faced charges under Sections 6(1)(c) and 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Shazeli said some other individuals had been identified as prosecution witnesses, while five suspects remained at large.
Police believed the five wanted individuals were still in the country and would release further details to help locate them.
He urged anyone with information about suspicious activities, particularly those involving security threats or firearms, to contact the police.