In one of the most gruesome murder cases that stunned the nation, cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya and three others were killed, their bodies burnt and ashes strewn into a river in Tanjong Sepat near Banting, ending the two-weeks mysterious disappearance of the four.

Adding to the drama in the midst of the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations, a prominent 41-year-old lawyer in Banting, carrying the title ‘Datuk’ was arrested along with his 38-year-old brother, two women and four others, including farm workers.

NONE Bukit Aman CID director Mohd Bakri Zinin said that the suspects admitted 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 Ladang Gadong, Tanjong Sepat, Mohd Bakri told a news conference at the Kuala Langat district police headquarters today.

"I can say that Sosilawati Lawiya and three others are believed to have been murdered and their bodies burnt with ashes strewn in a river," said Mohd Bakr.

"Police have detained eight suspects in the case and they provided information that led us to the location where the remains were found," he added.

"We will have to do a DNA analysis to fully determine the identity of the remains but we are confident these are the remains of the four."

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

Yesterday, police arrested the datuk and his brother, attached to a law firm in Banting, while the eighth suspect was arrested today.

NONE Apart from Sosilawati ( right ), 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 to Banting purportedly for a deal related to a land purchase.

A week later, police found Sosilawati's BMW at Angsana Apartment in USJ 1, Subang Jaya and the BMW of Ahmad Kamil at a housing estate in front of a hotel in Subang Jaya.

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 crime, Mohd Bakri said it pointed towards business rivalry between the two lawyers and Sosilawati.

Mandatory death sentence

He added that the 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 being still alive is extremely remote."

He also said that he could not say at which stage the case was progressing now, whether at 30 percent or 40 percent 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.

Forensic team investigates

Earlier a police forensic team arrived at a farm in Tanjong Sepat near Banting around noon today, bringing with them two men in lock-up attire, believed to be among those picked up in connection with the disappearance of Sosilawati and three others.

The media, who were at the entrance of the Ladang Gadong integrated farm, saw two convoys of police cars entering the site with at least two men in lock-up attire inside.

A policeman said they were taken to a site about 100 metres from the main road, believed to be part of the investigations into the disappearance of Sosilawati, the founder of the Nouvelle Visages cosmetic line.

The forensic team had also gone to a restaurant about four kilometres from the scene as part of the investigations into the case.

- B ernama, AFP