KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian man who was recently kidnapped and held for ransom before being killed in San Simon, Pampanga has been identified by Philippines police.
In a report by Philippines news organisation, Inquirer, the victim was identified as one Jason, a 40 year-old from Negri Sembilan believed to be working with a Philippines Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO).
San Simon police found the body dumped in an irrigation canal in San Miguel village.
The victim was reportedly found blindfolded, bound and with bullet wounds.
When contacted by New Straits Times, Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) of Bukit Aman director, Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said that Malaysian police had managed to identify the suspects via the crypto transaction that was made between his kidnappers and the victim's brother.
However, when asked to comment on the details of the case, Ramli said that further investigation were beyond his jurisdiction as the Malaysian police was only helping its Philippines counterpart by tracking the cryptocurrency ransom trail.
In a press conference two days ago, Ramli said that the CCID,had a specific lab that focuses on crime involving cryptocurrency in the Southeast Asian region.
Two days ago, it was reported that Philippine police discovered the remains of a man believed to be a Malaysian individual who was recently kidnapped and held for ransom.
Ramli said Philippines police had received a report from the victim's brother on October 22.
He added that a group of men had kidnapped the victim and demanded RM330,000 in ransom from his brother.
He said the money has been transferred to the kidnappers via cryptocurrency exchange in US dollars.
Despite that, according to Ramli, Philippines police have found a body matching the description of the victim in San Simon, Papanga on October 23.
This newspaper has reached out to the Malaysian Embassy in Manila for updates on this case but was told that they would only update the Malaysian police.
On June 30, national news agency Bernama reported that the Foreign Ministry had identified 127 Malaysian citizens who were victims of the dismantled POGO forced labour syndicate.
The Ministry, in a statement, said they were among a group of 134 individuals believed to be Malaysian citizens caught up in the elaborate scheme.