LAWYER, BROTHER AND SIX OTHERS ARRESTED FOR SOSILAWATI'S MURDER

BANTING (Malaysia), Sept 13 (Bernama) -- Police arrested a lawyer, his
younger brother, also a lawyer, and six workers of an oil palm plantation here
where cosmetic millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya and three others were murdered.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department Director Mohd Bakri
Zinin said the suspects admitted that they took the victims to the four-hectare
plantation, bludgeoned them to death and burned their bodies.

They later scattered the ashes at a river near the Ladang Gadong, Tanjong
Sepat, here, Mohd Bakri told a news conference at the Kuala Langat district
police headquarters.

Mohd Bakri said police picked up five of the suspects on Friday.

On Sept 11, police arrested the and his brother, attached with a law firm
here, while the eighth suspect was arrested Sept 12.

Apart from Sosilawati, the others murdered were her driver Kamaruddin
Shamsudin, 44, CIMB Kampung Baru bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, and her
personal lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32.

They were reported missing since Aug 30 after going here purportedly for a
dealing related to a land purchase.

Mohd Bakri, however, could not confirm the date the murder took place but
said that it could be anytime between the day they were reported missing and
yesterday.

On the motive of the incident, Mohd Bakri said it pointed towards business
rivalry between the two lawyers and Sosilawati.

Mohd Bakri said police were investigating the case under Section 302 of the
Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death sentence, and that Kuala Lumpur
police would handle the investigation because the victims were last seen leaving
Sosilawati's office in Kuala Lumpur.

He said the families of the victims had been informed and that that police
would still need further confirmation from the forensic division and Chemistry
Department.

"What I can confirm now is that after the suspects' admission, the chances
of
them still alive is extremely remote."

He also said that he could not say at which stage the case was progressing
now,
whether at 30 per cent or 40 per cent completed, saying it would all depend on
the forensic and chemistry reports.

"These reports take time to prepare. The families of the victims and the
media
will be notified as soon as these reports come in," he said.

Mohd Bakri called for patience as the forensic team was still in their
early stage of collecting evidence.

They had also found a knife at the scene, he said, adding however that he
could not confirm whether there were any bones recovered.

Mohd Bakri also revealed that the suspects had admitted that they were also
involved in similar incidents in the past.

"They admitted to using the same modus operandi and we are now investigating
the disappearance of four persons since a year ago," he said, adding that police
were trying to establish forensic proof of the case.

All suspects, aged 19 and 41, two of them women, were now detained at the
Bukit Jalil police station, Kuala Lumpur, he said.

It was learnt that police had obtained a seven-day remand order to
facilitate investigations into the case.

Asked to described the scene where the alleged murder took place, Mohd Bakri
said it was surrounded by walls and planted with oil palm trees.

There were also goat and cattle barns, he said.

"No one will be able to see what is happening behind those walls," he said,
adding that police were also investigating the arrested lawyer for money
laundering.

"We receive information that he had obtained properties illegally; we are
pursuing this," he said.

-- BERNAMA