MORE PICS – Man Murdered & Set on Fire in Proton Wira Car - Punchak Alam, Shah Alam - Sunday Morning; 2 men remanded as Suspects; Man identity unknown

UPDATE: AUG 10 07, 8.40pm

Friday August 10, 2007
Two suspects in murder case released; they were just punters
By DHARMENDER SINGH

SHAH ALAM: Police have released the two suspects arrested in connection with the murder of a man, whose charred remains were found in burning car here on Sunday, after finding out that they were not involved in the crime. The two men were arrested after they were spotted leaving the area where the car had been set on fire. Investigations revealed that they had been nothing more than punters trying to get a look at the number of the burning car. Shah Alam OCPD Asst Comm Noor Azam Jamaludin said the two suspects were released after their remand order expired as police investigations revealed that it was unlikely that the two were responsible for the death of the victim, believed to be S. Umapathy, 29. “The two suspects were just there to look for ‘nombor ekor’. They were also drunk at the time and could not offer much information on the case,” he said.
Police are, however, still investigating the case to determine the motive for the murder. Umapathy, a human resource manager with a fitness centre, was reported missing by his family on Saturday and police found his burning car at about 2am the following day. Umapathy is said to have left his house in Taman Bayu Perdana in Klang at about 7pm on Friday to go to a temple in Rantau, Negri Sembilan, but he never returned home. His brother, Gopalakrishnan, when contacted said the family was still hoping that the body that had been found in the car was not that of Umapathy. He said the body had been burnt beyond recognition and the only way to know for certain if it was Umapathy was through DNA testing. “The tests have been conducted but the results will only be known in about two weeks so all we can do for now is wait,” he said.= = == = == =

UPDATE: AUG 08 07, 8.40

NST Online » Local News; 2007/08/08
‘Manager murdered, not involved in accident’

KLANG: Police believe that human resources manager S. Umapathy, who is believed to have been murdered and burned in his car, was not involved in an accident although he had told this to his mother. This is based on the lack of any damage to his car. Police believe Umapathy was not in Seremban when he made telephone calls to his nephew and mother as he had just returned to Petaling Jaya. He is believed to have been heading home at that time. Police hope to find the answers in the next few days as the four suspects in custody may shed more light on the case. In the incident, the 29-year-old human resource manager of a popular fitness centre, went missing last Saturday. His family later lodged a missing person’s report at the Klang district police headquarters.

However, police found his Proton Wira ablaze about 2am on Sunday at Puncak Alam in Shah Alam and the charred remains of a man inside. His family members said he left his house in Taman Bayu Perdana about 7pm on Friday saying he was going to a temple in Rantau, Negri Sembilan. Umapathy’s older brother, S. Gopalakrishnan, said a nephew who accompanied the former said they had returned at 2.30am.

However, Umapathy never returned home and later made phone calls to his nephew and mother asking for a total of RM3,500 to be deposited into his bank account. He had said that he was involved in an accident with a Mercedes Benz in Seremban and the other party was demanding money to settle it. The money was banked in and the last contact the family had with him was about 1pm when he said everything was settled and that he would be returning home later at night. Attempts by family members to contact him after that failed as his phone kept going to voice mail. A blood sample was taken yesterday for a DNA test to identify the remains. Police are also looking for two men seen leaving the scene in a Mitsubishi Storm pick-up truck.

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The charred remains of the man found burnt in his car at Punchak Alam has been identified as logistic manager S. Umapathy,29. Selangor Police has said so far 4 men have been arrested in connection with the case. The police confirmed on Monday he was killed elsewhere before he was dumped in his car towed to the site and set on fire.

The third and fourth suspect was arrested on Sunday evening. The first two suspects were nabbed near the crime scene two hours after the police were alerted at a.30 am. Selangor CPO Khalid Abu Bakar (ABOVE) disclosed that Uma Subramnian who works for a company in Klang knew the suspects well
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Monday August 6, 2007(updated version )
Four held over murder

PETALING JAYA: Four men have been arrested in connection with the murder of a man whose charred remains were found inside a Proton Wira in Puncak Alam, Shah Alam, on Sunday. The four, including a relative and a friend of the victim, were picked up at various locations in Selangor shortly after police found the remains near where Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibbu was allegedly murdered. State chief police officer Deputy Comm Datulk Khalid Abu Bakar said the men, aged between 28 and 40, were believed to be involved in the case. The victim was said to be a 29-year-old human resource manager from Klang who worked for a fitness centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Police have taken a sample from the charred remains for DNA testing. Meanwhile, a man believed to be a relative of the deceased, when met at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital mortuary in Klang, said the Proton Wira in which the body was found belonged to his brother. “The last we heard from my brother was at about 10am on Saturday when he called and asked us for some money, after saying that he was involved in an accident,” said the man who wished to be known only as Gopal.

Gopal said his brother went to Seremban with a relative for prayers and was due back on Saturday. On Sunday, Fire and Rescue Department personnel made a gruesome finding after receiving a call about a car on fire at 2am. After putting out the fire, they found the charred remains inside the car. ACP Noor Azam said urged those with information on the incident to contact investigation officer ASP Nazri at 03-5510 2222.
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ABOVE: Punchak Alam, the same place where the Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu was murdered and BELOW: The burnt out shell of the car

Police have remanded two men to assist in the investigation of man found burnt in his Proton Wira Car in Punchak Alam, Shah Alam.
ABOVE & BELOW: a closer views of the bunt car, a Proton Wira


Police said they received a call at about 2 am from a motor cyclist who heard an explosion when passing by the area. A search at the Road transport department revealed that the car belongs to a man residing in Pandamarn, Kelang.
ABOVE & BELOW: The interior of the car was reduced to a metallic shell

His body was found in the front passenger seat. Police believed he was murdered elsewhere and set on fire. His identity could not be established as all his documents were burnt out

ABOVE & BELOW: The structures suffered a complete burnt out ; but fo scrap it would get a better price is sold to a "potong" - cut dealer

= = == = == = ==and from STAR, Monday August 6, 2007

Burnt body found near Altantuya site(1st version)
SHAH ALAM: Fire and Rescue Department personnel made a gruesome find after receiving a call about a car on fire at Jalan Empangan Tasik Subang in Puncak Alam here early yesterday. After putting out the fire, they found the charred remains of what is believed to be a man inside the Proton Wira. Shah Alam District police Chief Asst Comm Noor Azam Jamaludin said police received a call about a burning car at 2am and immediately notified the Fire and Rescue Department.

“We found the body in the car and believe the man was set on fire. We have yet to identify him because all his personal documents were also burnt,” he said. Police have detained two men near the scene. ACP Noor Azam said a search at the Road Transport Department showed that the Wira belonged to a man from Pandamaran in Klang. The spot, where the burnt car was found, was about 50m from the entrance of a road leading to a secondary jungle where Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu was allegedly murdered.

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