Cops probe link between two murder victims

PETALING JAYA - Two men found dead in the trunks of two cars in Kajang and Puchong were acquaintances, police said yesterday.

They said they were establishing the motive behind the murders.

Selangor Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Mohd Adnan Abdullah said initial post-mortem reports showed both men were shot before their bodies were dumped into the trunks of the cars.

The body of the first victim was found in a burnt white Honda Accord in Hulu Langat on Thursday, and that of Saravanan Gopal, 29, was recovered from a blue BMW left for five days in a mining pool in Taman Putra Prima, Puchong, on Sunday.

Adnan said police picked up two more suspects — a plantation caretaker and a fish pond caretaker — yesterday afternoon, bringing the total number of suspects to seven.

“The two Bangladeshis, aged 23 and 27, did not have valid documents and worked near the mining pool where the BMW was fished out,” he said.

Police had detained five suspects, all Malaysians, from Friday to Sunday.

The men, aged between 27 and 42, are believed to be known to both victims.

Two of the suspects had records for possession of a weapon, and for car theft and drug-related activities.

Charred remains of R. Mathialagan found in boot of a burnt car

Adnan said police were investigating gangsterism in both cases.

Yesterday, a police source said the murders could be linked to drugs and territorial dispute between two rival gangs.

The source said it was believed the suspects were killing off members from their rival gang.

Adnan declined to elaborate, saying investigations were ongoing.

“We are trying to establish first how the victims could be linked and how close they were,” he said.

The initial post-mortem reports showed the first victim died from a gunshot wound to his head, while Saravanan sustained injuries from gunshots to his head and chest.

The body of Saravanan, who was a circulation staff of the business newspaper The Malaysian Reserve, was identified by his family members on Monday. They had been searching for him since May 2.

The burnt car in Hulu Langat was found to be registered to one R. Mathialagan, 43. Police have taken blood samples from his family to match the DNA of the charred remains found in the trunk.