BALING: "We believe our father is still alive; he may have been hypnotised. Our intuition strongly suggests that he is alive, but we are worried that his condition is weak," said Muhammad Amir Hakimi Sabari, 25.
The youngest son of Sabari Baharom, 62, said that since the news of his father's disappearance went viral, many parties, including practitioners of Islamic and alternative medicine, have contacted him for assistance.
He mentioned that his family is also seeking alternatives by meeting with mosque imams and religious scholars to hold recitations of Yasin and pray for their father's safety.
"So far, about 15 practitioners of Islamic and alternative medicine, including those from Indonesia and Sarawak, have informed us that my father is still alive since the first, second, and third week. Now, some have said he may have been hypnotised and taken to a secluded place in the forest," Amir Hakimi told Harian Metro.
"However, his condition may be weak. Some suggest he could be taken to the Gubir forest area in Sik, where the Proton Waja he was driving was found burnt, but that may just be speculation or their opinions; we are not sure," he said when contacted today.
Yesterday, media reports indicated that the son of a retired Felcra finance officer suspects that his father was abducted by unknown individuals, following several transfers of money to other people's bank accounts within two days of his disappearance.
Amir Hakimi said that friends and acquaintances have also been helping to search for his father at the location where the car was found, but no clues have emerged.
In addition, he said that their family is tracking their father's financial movements through online applications and taking various measures, including meeting Sabari's acquaintances, neighbours, and villagers, including his father's wife, who still works in Kuala Lumpur.
"It is quite strange that my father searched for Maybank2U on Google at 11.15pm while at home, considering he had never used any online banking system.
"Then, he left the house on the night of Sept 3, and his trail stopped in the area of Sekolah Rendah Kuala Pegang between 3am and 4am on Sept 4. We suspect someone abducted him as his mobile phone was also switched off.
"We have met all of my father's acquaintances, including the names mentioned by them, except for one person named Ramli, who drives a Mercedes, whom we cannot find as no one knows him," he said.
Amir Hakimi said that they learned about Ramli from one of their father's friends, who also does not know him well but mentioned Sabari's name frequently during their conversations before his disappearance.
He added that they are trying to trace the name Ramli, who drives a Mercedes, through villagers or their father's acquaintances, but no one seems to recognise him.
"If Ramli is indeed a friend of my father, he would have contacted us to inquire about my father's condition by now.
"We, the children, are increasingly frustrated, with no new leads. Besides the police, we will continue to try to locate our father with all our might; every day we become more anxious thinking about his situation," he said.
Meanwhile, acting Baling district police chief, Deputy Superintendent Charan Ai Wan, when contacted, said that they are investigating the case and there have been no new developments.
"So far, there are no updates. The car belongs to OH (missing person). The Kedah contingent police headquarters is also assisting in investigating this case," he said.