KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — Authorities are investigating the disappearance of Sabari Baharom, a 62-year-old retired Felcra officer from Baling, Kedah whose case has taken a dark turn following the confession of two suspects — which led police to believe he was murdered.

Here is the latest on the situation according to Kedah police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh:

  • Two local men, aged 26 and 38, admitted to throwing the victim into Sungai Padang Terap in Jitra, with his hands bound and mouth sealed with adhesive tape.
  • Sabari’s remains are yet to be found.
  • The case is now being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
  • A joint search operation is underway, with the radius expanded to 12.8 km along the river, starting from the Kampung Empa bridge in Derang.

Authorities are still searching for Sabari Baharom, a 62-year-old retired Felcra officer from Baling, Kedah, who disappeared early September. — Bernama pic
Authorities are still searching for Sabari Baharom, a 62-year-old retired Felcra officer from Baling, Kedah, who disappeared early September. — Bernama pic

Here’s the chronology of events reported to date:

Sept 3 — Sabari Baharom left his home in Kampung Mengkuang Tengah, Baling, driving his Proton Waja.

Initially, family members were not concerned as he often spent time away. However, as hours turned into a day without contact, alarm bells began to ring.

Sept 4 — After multiple failed attempts to reach him, Sabari's family reported him missing. The police immediately began their investigation.

During this process, they discovered several unauthorised cash withdrawals from Sabari’s bank account.

These transactions were traced through CCTV footage, revealing that someone had accessed his account without permission. This raised further concerns about the circumstances of his disappearance.

Sept 24 — In a significant development, Kedah police chief Fisol said a 62-year-old woman was detained to assist in the investigation. The details about her connection to the case were not disclosed.

Sept 29 — The investigation took a dramatic turn when police arrested two local men who confessed to murdering Sabari and disposing of his body.

Following the arrests, police discovered Sabari’s burnt car in Belantik, Sik. The vehicle’s destruction has made it more challenging to piece together the events leading to Sabari's disappearance.

Amir Hakimi said that since the story of his father’s disappearance became public, many Islamic traditional healers and shamans contacted him to help in the search. — Bernama pic
Amir Hakimi said that since the story of his father’s disappearance became public, many Islamic traditional healers and shamans contacted him to help in the search. — Bernama pic

What has Sabari’s family said about this?

His son Muhammad Amir Hakimi, 25, said that one of the suspects is known to the family — a contractor who had worked on a neighbour’s house in front of his father’s home for the past five months.

Amir Hakimi said Sabari would often bump into the suspect while passing by the house under construction, where they would exchange greetings and have brief chats.

According to him:

“What he did was extremely outrageous and cruel.

“The suspect is not from this village; he is an outsider, and my father was always good to him.”

His son Muhammad Amir Hakimi, 25, said that one of the suspects is known to the family. — Bernama pic
His son Muhammad Amir Hakimi, 25, said that one of the suspects is known to the family. — Bernama pic

A mystifying side-story to this involved the family, who had last week believed that Sabari was still alive, and that he was hypnotised by those who abducted him.

Speaking to news agency Bernama, Amir Hakimi said that since the story of his father’s disappearance became public, many Islamic traditional healers and “medicine men” or shamans contacted him to help in the search for Sabari.

“About 15 Islamic and alternative medicine practitioners including from Sarawak and the neighbouring country, Indonesia, claim that father is still alive.”