Police will investigate whether the death of Aveer Cosmetics founder Sarina Jaafar has any connection with the murder of cosmetics queen Sosilawati Lawiya, Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar said.

He said police would look into all aspects of the case given that the two were best friends.

"We will look into all information we have on the case," he told reporters at an Aidilfitri reception at parliament house today.

Sarina was found hanging in her bedroom at Taman Pauh Jaya, Bukit Mertajam, Penang, yesterday morning and was said to have called a relative and told her that she was going to hang herself.

Police have classified the case as a sudden death. Her family members said she had been under stress lately and had frequently told them that she was saddened by what had befallen her friend, Sosilawati.

Sosilawati, 47, CIMB Bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, driver Kamaruddin Shamsudin, 44, and lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, were reported missing on Aug 30 after leaving for Banting over a land deal.

Police confirmed that they were brutally murdered before their bodies were burnt and the ashes thrown into a river near Ladang Gadong, Tanjung Sepat, near Banting.

Meanwhile, Ismail declined to reveal whether the checks carried out by police at the office of Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department T Murugiah and the clinic owned by his wife, had any connection to the police report lodged by Murugiah.

"We are still investigating. What is important is to solve everything in the near future," he said.

Murugiah lodged a report on Friday, saying he received a text message linking him to the main suspect in Sosilawati's murder case.

Visitors flock to Ladang Gadong

Meanwhile the murders has been attracting visitors in droves to this isolated place which was seldom visited by the public previously.    

The number of curious visitors to Ladang Gadong, located between Morib and Tanjung Sepat, is said to have increased tremendously since last week following media reports on the gruesome murders.    

Many people who returned to Banting for the Raya celebration also took the opportunity to visit Ladang Gadong which is an oil palm and livestock breeding area, besides having a longan farm.    

Muhammad Hussain, 62, a nasi campur (rice with dishes) restaurant operator in the area, said all the food at his restaurant was often sold out before evening.    

He said if he was making a daily profit of RM300 previously, it was now double that amount with hundreds of people patronising his restaurant including policemen, and local and foreign journalists covering the murders.    

Puuneswral, 29, said his roti canai and mee goreng at his warung (stall), which he operates from 8am daily, would often be sold out by 11am.    

He said it was the first time since the stall, set up by his father three years ago, received hundreds of customers daily who would talk about the murder cases over food and drinks.    

According to him, there was heavy traffic congestion in front to his stall last Saturday and Sunday due to the influx of people into the area following the discovery of the murders.    

However, with the investigation into the murders coming to an end, the number of visitors has dwindled.     

- Bernama