Video : Brothers are main suspects in murder of four

[Cao Pi]

Monday September 13, 2010

Brothers are main suspects in murder of four

KUALA LANGAT: Two lawyer brothers are the prime suspects in the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others whose bodies were burnt and their ashes strewn in a river near Ladang Gadong, in Tanjong Sepat, here. Cops are probing if the brothers are also responsible for four more people reported missing.

Bukit Aman CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said police were awaiting forensic confirmation on the remains, believed to be that of Sosilawati, the client of the main suspect – a Datuk – said to have been handling a land deal in Penang for the entrepreneur. He owned the farm where the bodies were allegedly burnt after they had been assaulted and stabbed to death.

Picture shows the man believed to be the mastermind being led away by police. — ART CHEN / The Star

From initial investigations, police found that the ashes were disposed of at the mouth of a river about 4.2km from the farm. Comm Bakri said the motive of the murder could be business rivalry, debt and a land business deal gone sour. It is learnt that the land in Penang was bought for RM25mil and was to have been re-sold for RM200mil.

Sosilawati was last seen leaving Kuala Lumpur for Banting on Aug 30, with her driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Karim, 32, and bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38. Their mysterious disappearance attracted much interest. “Police believe the 41-year-old lawyer was the mastermind behind the disappearances and could have been involved in four other missing persons cases,” Comm Bakri told reporters at the Banting police headquarters yesterday.

The brothers were among eight people arrested in connection with the case. The other six, including two women, aged between 19 and 45, were farmhands. Police managed to get fresh leads into the case that saw the arrest of the eight, following the co-operation from the public, media and suspects detained earlier.

“All the information we obtained from the suspects detained earlier gave our men more clues that pointed to the description of the four missing persons,” he said. “We still need a DNA test to confirm the identity of the victims but there is only a slim chance that they are alive,” Comm Bakri said, adding that he did not rule out the possibility of more arrests.

“We will investigate the brothers in relation to their accumulation of properties, high-end cars and their business dealings that involve millions of ringgit,” he added. Police are also investigating the whereabouts of the RM4mil which Sosilawati was said to have been carrying. Comm Bakri said one of the four previous missing persons cases involved an Indian national who had opened a restaurant with the brothers as partners.<object height="385" width="480">


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He said police would investigate these other cases as well. Yesterday, more than 60 policemen were at the farm and divers from Marine Police combed Sungai Panchau in Kampung Kanchong Laut in search of evidence. Forensic teams combed the 1.6ha of farm where some of Sosilawati’s personal belongings were found, including her watch.

Police also blocked access to the Gadong Farm in Jalan Gadong, Tanjong Sepat, 1km from the main road from last night and barred more than 30 members of the press corps from getting any nearer to the site. Comm Bakri said the police were investigating the farm land which the lawyer bought about 30 months ago to ascertain if the deal was made “properly”. He added that the police also wanted to know where the former owner was. The previous owner is said to be missing.

 

[chowka]

Shady duo who put up a generous front


Monday September 13, 2010

Shady duo who put up a generous front

KUALA LANGAT: The mastermind said to be behind the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others is an infamous figure being investigated by police for land fraud and cheating. Both the man and his brother are from humble beginnings. After graduating with law degrees, they opened a practice, where one of the brothers soon became an active member of the community.

They are known for their show of philanthropy with frequent donations of food and clothing to the poor. The brothers, who specialise in land deals, had also developed a reputation for “unsavoury tactics” during their negotiations. “Their methods were frowned upon and most lawyers kept their distance from them,” said a source. The two, who were suspended from practising law for a year for alleged involvement in land scams, are known to have expensive tastes, being seen driving luxury cars.

Crime scene: The farm where the murders might have been committed.

It is understood that the elder brother, who received a Datukship a year ago, is being investigated by the Commercial Crimes Investigations Department (CCID) in Penang and Bukit Aman for land fraud and cheating cases involving millions of ringgit. Sources familiar with the case said he had attempted to cheat a businessman of more than a million ringgit over three parcels of land. “The businessman was shown a power of attorney letter by the lawyer, who collected a RM1mil deposit pending transfer of the land title.

A forensics police officer collecting bone fragments near Banting Sunday.

“When the businessman later did a search, he was shocked to find that the land had already been sold,” they said. The sources said police were checking if Sosilawati had engaged one of the brothers in a land deal and if she could have wanted her money back after learning about the alleged fraud because there was talk that she had gone to see him in Banting on the same matter.

Federal CCID deputy director Deputy Comm Datuk Noryah Md Anvar confirmed that the brothers were under investigation. An estate worker said he had sometimes seen luxury cars entering and leaving the farm near where the ashes of the victims were supposedly found. “However, no one really knows what goes on there as the gates are always closed,” he said.

Another resident, who only wanted to be known as Rajes, 30, said one the brothers was the man “you go to see if you need help with something outside the boundaries of the law.” “Everyone knows that he is connected with certain types of people,” he said, adding that it was rumoured among locals that people who crossed the brothers would mysteriously disappear.

 

[chowka]

Timeline of killings


Monday September 13, 2010

Timeline of killings

Aug 28: Local beauty products founder Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya is last seen in public at a buka puasa event in Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, Shah Alam.

Aug 30: Sosilawati, 47, leaves her house in Gombak for Banting to discuss a land deal worth RM1.4mil. She had told one of her daughters that she would be in Banting for three days.

Sept 1: Three days have passed and there are no signs of Sosilawati, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Karim, 32, and financial adviser Noorhisham Mohammad, 38.

Sept 5: Kuala Lumpur CID chief Datuk Ku Chin Wah says police received a report on the disappearance of the four.

Sept 6: The luxury cars belonging to Sosilawati and her lawyer are found in Subang Jaya.

Sept 9: A suspect is arrested.

Sept 10: The detained suspect leads police to a place where several of Sosilawati’s belongings are found. Five people from the area are arrested. A lawyer is called in to have his statement recorded at the Kuala Langat police headquarters before being released.

Sept 11: Two brothers are arrested. Police learn that the victims may have been murdered and their bodies burnt before the ashes were strewn in a river near Ladang Gadong in Tanjung Sepat, near Morib.

Sept 12: Police confirm the arrest of two lawyer brothers, one of them a Datuk, in connection with the murders.

 

[chowka]

Eldest daughter Rita to inherit estate


Tuesday September 14, 2010

Eldest daughter Rita to inherit estate

GOMBAK: The eldest daughter of murdered Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya is the most likely candidate to inherit the estate of the cosmetics millionaire. It was understood that Erni Irdawati Dekritawati Yuliana Bukhari (pic), better known as Rita, 25, had said she would ensure her five other siblings were taken care of.

Dozens of friends and family members of Sosilawati were seen visiting her residence in Gombak yesterday, but many remained tight-lipped about the grieving family. One of them was heard to say that it was important for her loved ones to lend support to each other during this time of mourning.

One of Sosilawati’s business advisers Datuk Suhaimi Ibrahim described the situation inside the mansion at Taman Harmoni here as “really sombre” – as family and friends tried to come to terms with her death in such a gruesome manner. “It is the work of the devil, an inhumane act,” he added. He said Sosilawati had wanted to have her company listed on Bursa Malaysia and needed to sell a plot of land in Bukit Jambul to facilitate her financial move.

Suhaimi, the political secretary to Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, said the minister would pay her last respects to Sosilawati here at 11am today. “When Sosilawati successfully built her business throughout South-East Asia, she gained the admiration of Shahrizat. “They soon became close friends,” he said.

 

[SwineHunter]

Marine police find knife in river


Wednesday September 15, 2010

Marine police find knife in river

Down by the river: A marine policeman holding the knife believed to have been used in the murder of Sosilawati in Sungai Kanchong.

KUALA LANGAT: Scuba unit personnel from the marine police found a sharp object resembling a rubber tapping knife in Sungai Kanchong near Morib. Sources said the six divers who had been searching the river for evidence from 9am managed to find the weapon at about 4.30pm. District police officials declined to comment on the discovery.

Two suspects in the case were seen at the riverbank when the scuba divers were searching for evidence. Until press time, only one weapon had been retrieved from the river. At about 3pm, divers from the police forensics team recovered a pair of handcuffs from Sungai Kanchong Laut opposite Kampung Endah, believed to have been used in the murder.

 

[lauhumku]

Millions found in suspects’ bank accounts


Wednesday September 15, 2010

Millions found in suspects’ bank accounts

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KUALA LANGAT: Millions of ringgit in the local bank accounts of two lawyer brothers detained in the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya have been frozen. According to a source, the main suspect – the elder brother – has allegedly RM7.2mil in one bank account alone. It is believed that the police are currently tracing the financial transactions against the deposits and withdrawals of cash from the various bank accounts.

“There are numerous movements of cash by both locals and foreigners, and originating from countries like India, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indo_nesia and the Philippines,” said the source. He added that the financial transactions recorded could correspond with the dealings of the businessmen who had been reported missing.

“This will help us craft out a pattern of fraudulent dealings,” he said. Yesterday, the suspect was brought to his legal firm in Jalan Kemboja opposite the Banting police headquarters at 11am to retrieve crucial documents that could help the police build their case.

The lawyer is among eight suspects detained in connection with the killing of Sosilawati, 47, her driver Kamarudin Shamsuddin, 44, Kampung Baru CIMB bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, and lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, who were reported missing on Aug 30.

They were believed to have been killed and burnt in Ladang Gadong, Tanjong Sepat, and their ashes strewn in a river. It is believed to be the location where the suspect had discussed a land deal with Sosilawati. Police seized four computer processing units from the office, along with several files believed to contain information on land deals.

After about two hours at the office, authorities took the suspect back to the farm in Ladang Gadong, believed to be the scene of the killings, where they spent some 45 minutes. It is also learnt that the police had seized two laptops belonging to the wives of the two brothers from the family’s home in Taman Sari, Telok Datok.

Earlier, more than 60 people were seen waiting at the law firm, claiming to be the suspect’s clients and demanding that the clerks give back their land grants. However, police told them that it was not possible as investigations into the murder case was ongoing.

 

[lauhumku]

Thursday September 16, 2010

Main suspect in murder said to have bought title for RM180,000

PETALING JAYA: The “Datuk” lawyer who is the prime suspect in the murder of Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya is believed to have spent RM180,000 to buy the title. However, police investigations found no record of a datukship being awarded to the lawyer.

In other developments:

> INSPECTOR-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar has promised that all reports about missing persons will now be scrutinised carefully;

> A TASK force has been formed to probe all missing persons cases linked to the lawyer and his brother; and

> THE Sosilawati’s case is now considered solved by the police.

 

[lauhumku]

Main suspect in murder is not a ‘Datuk’ after all


Thursday September 16, 2010

Main suspect in murder is not a ‘Datuk’ after all

PETALING JAYA: The main suspect in the murder of cosmetics queen Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya is not a Datuk after all. Police enquiries in all states to trace who had conferred a Datukship on the 41-year-old drew a blank, sources said. It is learnt that the suspect had bought the so-called title from a businessman for RM180,000.

The man had promised him that his name would be included on the list of recipients for Datukship. Apparently, the businessman told the suspect that he was free to use the title following the inclusion of his name on the list. Sources revealed that police were also looking for the businessman.

Grisly finds: Forensic Police searching for evidence believed to be used in the murder of Sosilawati at Sungai Panchau.

In Banting, Bernama reports that the police forensic team found more objects in Sungai Panchau which could shed light on the murders of Sosilawati and three others. A police team was seen holding several objects, including what is believed to be a bundle of bone fragments.

The press was not allowed near the investigation scene and a canvas screen was put up at the investigation site, making it difficult for the media to see what was going on. Also seen at the investigation site was the police Forensic Department director Datuk Abdul Malek Harun.