Murder of Sri Lankans in Sentul motivated by money, Malaysian police say

Malaysian authorities have attributed the recent murder of three Sri Lankan nationals in Sentul, Malaysia, to money-related issues.

Accordingly, Kuala Lumpur police chief Allaudeen Abdul Majid confirmed that the case has been solved and police have been instructed to charge four suspects with murder, Malaysian media reported.

We can safely say it is about money… debt, money, payment, and so on,” Allaudeen said, adding that the bodies showed no signs of abuse or torture.

“They died from suffocation. We are still waiting for further reports from the relevant parties,” he said.

Meanwhile, Allaudeen said four people detained in Petaling Jaya – three Sri Lankan men and a Pakistani man – on suspicion of harbouring the two prime suspects had been released and could be witnesses in a potential trial.

He said the five-room house was rented by a Sri Lankan couple in their 40s, their son who was in his 20s, and two other Sri Lankan nationals, aged between 20 and 30.

Police have confirmed the three who died were the tenants and the son. The parents were not home at the time of the incident.

Police believed there was a fight involving the two tenants.

On Sept 22, the same day as the murder, police detained eight people to facilitate investigations into the killing. The group included the two prime suspects, as well as the parents.

The father later died in custody on Sept 30.

“The investigation into the detainee’s death has also been handed over to the criminal investigation unit on deaths in custody under the Bukit Aman integrity and standards compliance department,” Allaudeen said, adding that it would not affect the case because the investigation papers were almost completed.

On Sept 22, sounds of screams, believed to be from a fight, led to the discovery of three bodies, belonging to Sri Lankan men, at the house.

Their hands and feet were bound, with their heads covered in plastic.

The bodies, found in the store room, were stacked on top of each other. One of the bodies was completely nude.

Allaudeen was previously quoted as saying that police had received a phone call from members of the public, informing them of a commotion coming from a four-storey shop house, around 11pm.

He said following the discovery of the bodies, police arrested the Sri Lankan couple, who had rented the house.

- Agencies