Alleged M'sian Murder Victim's Body Found After More Than A Year In Australia's Rural Area
Australian police said the victim was working as a cannabis crop sitter under a Southeast Asian crime syndicate.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 04 Apr 2022, 03:37 PM
The body of a Malaysian, Wong Chong Kai, is believed to have been found in a rural area in New South Wales (NSW), Australia after more than a year of his disappearance
According to the country's news network 9news, the human remains were found at Killongbutta about 3.30pm (local time) on Sunday, 3 April.
However, the body has yet to be formally identified. Forensic examination and DNA testing will be conducted, but the police believe that it belongs to Wong, also known as Jacky.
The 24-year-old victim is believed to have been killed between 25 December 2020 and 8 January 2021.
However, news.com.au reported that his family in Malaysia last spoke to him on 28 December 2020. He had been living in Sydney — about 244km east of where his body was allegedly found — since 2016.
His family told the police that they believe Wong was working in NSW before his disappearance.
Wong came to Australia on a holiday visa, but in reality, he was working for a Southeast Asian crime syndicate, according to local media
"We know Jacky was working for a criminal enterprise involved in the cultivation of cannabis in regional NSW around the time of his alleged murder," said drug and firearms squad commander Detective Supt John Watson.
"The circumstances of his death are particularly gruesome."
"These criminal groups are known for targeting young individuals with the promise of easy money, which often leads to them working in illegal grow houses on remote properties."
Cannabis is a prohibited drug in NSW unless it is lawfully prescribed as a medicine.
The police alleged that the "gruesome" murder was probably due to a dispute over money with more senior members of the gang
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Wong was working as a cannabis crop sitter looking after between 500 and 1,000 plants.
Three of Wong's alleged murderers — aged 33, 22, and 28 — were charged in connection with his death last month.
Following that, police began searching a rural property in Killongbutta.
On Monday, 4 April, the police released footage of the search, with officers seen digging and scraping through the dirt on a rural property.
