BALING: "I know the suspect who was arrested in connection with the murder of my neighbour, Sabari Baharom.
"Since Sabari's disappearance on Sept 4, the suspect, who is also the contractor building my nephew's house in this village, suddenly vanished until his arrest," said Mohd Sukeri Karim, 61.
He explained that after Sabari's disappearance, construction at his nephew's house, located just 300 meters away, was only managed by the suspect's workers.
"I recognised the suspect because he had come to my house with his nephew a few years ago. Our acquaintance continued when he started building my nephew's house, situated about 300 meters from my home.
"Initially, I saw him frequently, as he came daily to monitor the construction work.
"However, I found it strange that after Sabari went missing, he stopped coming to oversee the project, leaving it solely to his workers.
"As neighbours, we always look out for one another, and Sabari's disappearance has greatly affected us," he said.
Police confirmed that Sabari, 62, a retired Felcra finance officer, was thrown into the Padang Terap River in Jitra, with his hands tied and mouth taped shut.
This information was obtained from the confessions of two men, aged 26 and 38, who were arrested last Friday.
Mohd Sukeri, also a retired government officer, said he had a close relationship with Sabari, and they often checked on each other.
"If I didn't show up at the mosque, Sabari would come to my house to see how I was doing. He would also inform me whenever he planned to go to his children's or wife's home in Kuala Lumpur.
"Naturally, my family and I were shocked after Sabari's disappearance," he said.
Mohd Sukeri expressed his hope that Sabari's body would be found soon for a proper burial.
"Sabari also knew the suspect and often shared fruits with him whenever they met in the village," he noted.
Meanwhile, Imam Saidin Husain, 65, from the al-Mutmainnah Mosque in Kampung Mengkuang, described Sabari as a generous neighbour who was diligent in performing congregational prayers and often read the Quran.
"He has a fruit orchard, and every fruit season, he shared his harvest with the congregation. He even hosted gatherings at the mosque and his home on certain occasions.
"Since Sabari's disappearance, we have held several prayer sessions and recitations of Yasin before being informed that he was murdered and thrown into the river.
"In the future, we will conduct further prayer sessions and tributes for him. When his body is found, we will ensure his burial is carried out properly," he said.