A post-mortem last night has confirmed that private investigator P Balasubramaniam had died of a heart attack.

After the post-mortem at Sungai Buloh Hospital, Bala’s remains were brought back to his family home in Rawang at 11.40 last night, said Bala’s friend Raja Pillay.

NONE He added that his remains will be cremated at the Cheras Crematorium at 2pm today.

Yesterday's sudden death   of the private eye - who is closely linked to the case surrounding the murder of Mongolian interpreter Altantuya Shaariibuu - came as a shock as Bala had only recently returned from India.

When Malaysiakini interviewed him last week, the 53-year-old was still in high spirits and said Altantuya would not want him to die as he had a mission to reveal the truth about her death.

He had been hospitalised at the time and diagnosed with coronary blockage.

Meanwhile lawyers at the Malaysian Bar AGM today collected donations amounting to RM18,500 for Bala’s family.

The donations were passed to Bala’s lawyer Americk Sidhu , who at the meeting this morning revealed that lawyer Cecil Abraham had admitted to preparing the PI’s second statutory declaration on the instruction of then deputy prime minister Najib Razak.