3 Facts To Know About The Case Of Retired Felcra Officer Murdered & Dumped Into River
The victim's son revealed that he knew one of the suspects.
By Sadho Ram — 01 Oct 2024, 12:17 PM
The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Sabari Baharom, a retired Felcra financial officer, who went missing on 3 September, has been solved after police revealed that the 62-year-old was murdered
Sabari, who left his home in Baling, Kedah, to meet a friend earlier last month, was found to have been killed and dumped in the Padang Terap river in Jitra, a town about 120km away from Baling.
With his car found burned and suspicious bank transactions made from his accounts, the case raised numerous questions, leading to the arrest and confession of two suspects.
Below are three key facts about the case:
1. Sabari was abducted and his car was found burned
Sabari was last seen on 3 September, when he left his home in Kampung Mengkuang Tengah, Baling, to meet a friend. When he failed to return, his family reported him missing the next day, 4 September.
Days later, Sabari's Proton Waja was found burned in a remote dump site within the Gubir Forest ravine in Sik, Kedah, adding to the growing concerns about the retiree's fate.
Suspicious bank transfers from Sabari's accounts also emerged, with his son, Muhammad Amir Hakimi, revealing that money had been transferred to unknown third-party accounts, reported Malay Mail.
Amir Hakimi said after accessing several online bank accounts belonging to his father, he noticed a transfer of money from his father's Tabung Haji account to an Islamic Bank account and then to a Maybank account belonging to an unknown woman.
The woman, 62, was later arrested.
2. Two suspects confessed to killing Sabari and dumping his body
On 27 September, Kedah police arrested two local men, aged 26 and 38, who later admitted to killing Sabari. During their interrogation, the suspects confessed to a chilling sequence of events — they bound Sabari's hands, taped his mouth shut, and threw him into the river in Jitra.
However, Sabari's body has yet to be recovered.
3. One of the suspects is known to Sabari's son
Hakimi disclosed yesterday, 30 September, that he knew one of the suspects.
"I know the person, and what he did was extremely outrageous and cruel," he told reporters while waiting at the crime scene to receive updates regarding the search operation for his father's body.
The individual, a construction contractor, had been working on a house near Sabari's home for the past five months. Hakimi recalled that his father often greeted the man in passing, exchanging pleasantries with him.
"The suspect is not from this village; he is an outsider, and my father was always good to him," he said, while sharing that he and his family hoped the police would find his father's body soon.
Muhammad Amir Hakimi Sabari at the location where his father's body is believed to have been dumped.
Image via Bernama