ALOR STAR: The 38-year-old at the centre of the investigation into the murder of 62-year-old Felcra pensioner Sabari Baharom is said to be a gambling addict.
A source familiar with the investigation said this explained why the prime suspect and his 26-year-old nephew had gone to Batam, Indonesia after draining some RM16,000 from Sabari's savings account, after taking the victim's life on Sept 4.
"The suspect is said to be a compulsive gambler. He is also believed to be addicted to online gambling.
"The investigators believe that the prime suspect had spent the loot in casinos in Batam before returning home after spending the money there," said a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
It was learnt that the prime suspect and his nephew, who is also his main accomplice in the murder, were detained at a border checkpoint upon returning from Indonesia on Friday, not realising that police had already unmasked their identity.
However, it could not be immediately ascertained how long the suspects stayed in Batam.
Police have since obtained a week-long remand order against the duo.
Earlier today, Kedah police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh had told Harian Metro that Sabari was killed by his robbers as they were known to the victim.
This validated the NST report on Tuesday that Sabari could have been a victim of a robbery that went awry.
Fisol had said the suspects went to Sabari's home to rob him but things went sideways when the victim identified them.
It was initially believed that Sabari had left the house to follow a friend, but it was later established that he was instead abducted by the suspects during the robbery.
On Sept 30, police reclassified the case as a murder investigation following the arrest of two prime suspects, a 38-year-old contractor and his nephew, aged 26.
Kedah police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh reportedly said the suspects admitted to binding Sabari's hands, taping his mouth, and throwing him into the river.
https://www.nst.com.my/news/crime-courts/2024/09/1112980/police-sabaris-...
Earlier, police detained a 62-year-old woman to assist in the probe after it was discovered that there were suspicious money transfers from Sabari's account, following his disappearance.
Police have ended a search operation to locate the victim's body in Sungai Padang Terap after a three-day search covering a 13-kilometre stretch, did not yield any results.