Search party find footprints belonging to missing Orang Asli man after 9 days

LIPIS: Footprints found along the Sungai Jelai tributary near Pos Betau here yesterday are believed to belonged to missing Orang Asli senior citizen Bah Mail Pak Gendet.

The 76-year-old was last seen about 8am on July 9 near his house at Kampung Chekai, Pos Betau before he "disappeared". The search for Bah Mail enters its tenth day today (July 20).

Lipis police chief Superintendent Azli Mohd Nor said one of the search-and-rescue (SAR) teams found some fresh set of human tracks believed to belong to the missing man along the Sungai Jelai tributary at about 11.30am yesterday.

"The SAR team spotted some movements in the area and the victim is believed to have run barefoot into the forest. The team tried searching the area but could not locate him.

"The footprints found some 5km from the spot the victim was last seen on July 9 has provided the SAR team hope that Bah Mail is still alive. The Pahang police, and Fire and Rescue Department's K9 tracker dogs will be deployed to join the SAR operations in the forest area today," said Azli, who led the search operation yesterday.

Meanwhile, Azli said 12 Senoi Praaq General Operations Force (GOF), a unit made up almost entirely of Orang Asli members, have been roped in for the SAR operations.

"The Senoi Praaq members arrived at the Pos Betau hall on July 18 and were part of the search operations yesterday. The members are experts in tracking in the jungle and we hope they will assist us to locate the victim," he said.

On the search radius, Azli said the SAR team comprising more than 50 members have been divided into three teams and they have been focusing on areas with huts or abandoned houses, and trees with buttress roots (large and wide roots) in the forest.

"The search radius is about 10km from the spot the victim was last seen on July 9. The Orang Asli tok batin (village heads) have also been using methods based on traditional beliefs to help find Bah Mail.

"On July 13, there was a foul smell in the search area prompting the tracker dogs to be deployed to join the SAR operations but later the odour turned out to be that of a smelly fungus," he said.

Bah Mail was reported missing after he left his house at Kampung Chekai about 8am on July 9. The villagers lodged a report the next day when he failed to return home.