KUBANG PASU: The family of slain Felcra retiree Sabari Baharom, 62, who was allegedly thrown into the Sungai Padang Terap by his abductors, is fervently praying for the recovery of his body.
His youngest child, Muhammad Amir Hakimi Sabari, 25, expressed the family's desire to give their father a proper burial.
"We hope his body will be found soon so we can give him the burial he deserves. The last thing we want is for our father to have a grave," he told reporters at the search site in Sungai Wang Tepus today.
Amir said it was the family's hope that authorities would continue the search operation, which has entered its second day, until his father's body is recovered.
On behalf of the family, Amir commended the police for their efficiency in investigating his father's disappearance.
He said that he knew the main suspect, a local contractor working on a house near their home in Kuala Pegang, Baling.
He added that the homeowner had inquired about the suspect's whereabouts from his wife, who claimed she had no knowledge of his location.
"However, she told a neighbour that her husband had given her RM1,500 shortly before he went missing, around the same time my father disappeared," he added.
Yesterday, police reclassified Sabari's missing persons case as a murder investigation after arresting two men suspected of his abduction.
Kedah police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh said that the suspects, aged 26 and 38, admitted to murdering the victim by throwing him into the river with his hands bound and mouth taped.
On Sept 24, Fisol confirmed the detention of a 62-year-old woman to assist in the investigation into Sabari's disappearance.
A father of three, Sabari was reported missing on Sept 3 after leaving his home in Kampung Mengkuang Tengah, Kuala Pegang, Baling, in a Proton Waja.
His car was later found burned in Belantik, Sik, with no trace of him since.
Family members had raised concerns of abduction after noticing several transfers of money to other people's bank accounts within two days of his disappearance.