The private investigator in the Altantuya Shaariibuu case, P Balasubramaniam, has had his car stolen from his Rawang home yesterday morning.

His sister-in-law, who did not want to be named, said she noticed the car missing from his Taman Pelangi home, where she now lives, about 6.30am.

“The car was there at 2.30am. However, at 6.30am I found the front gate ajar and the car missing,” she said, adding that she had been staying at Balasubramaniam’s house since he left the country.

“Also missing was a camera and a video player and screen which were installed in the car. I lodged a report at the Rawang police station after the police wanted to have a copy of the ownership certificate for the vehicle.

"I supplied the necessary documents and the authorities finished taking my report by 3pm.”

She said the theft surprised her because she did not hear the dogs kept in the kennel make any noise.

The sister-in-law said her neighbour’s car was stolen last month, and another neighbour staying opposite the unit had their car stolen two months ago.

“Crime is becoming rampant,” she added.

Balasubramaniam, who was a policeman before becoming a private investigator, in an email in describing the loss of his vehicle, said “Malaysia is going downhill on crime.”

azlan It remains uncertain whether this latest incident could be related to the Altantuya murder case or Balasubramaniam’s allegations that the prime minister’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, had wanted him to leave the country following startling revelations the private investigator made in his first statutory declaration .

However, in a sudden twist, Balasubramaniam retracted the first statutory declaration.

Balasubramaniam and his family left the country two days after the retraction.

Investigations into SD closed

This is the latest crime episode that has happened to Balasubramaniam and those close to him. In 2009, his lawyer Manjeet Singh Dhillon had several molotov cocktails thrown into his house while he was away.

Manjeet’s laptop was reported stolen after intruders broke into his house last year.

Despite the revelations and reversal in the statutory declarations, the case was classified as closed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is still keeping open a report about Balasubramaniam allegedly being paid by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s younger brother, Nazim, to retract his statutory declaration.

However, the status of this case remains uncertain after MACC officers did not want to go to London to interview Balasubramaniam in the presence of his lawyers.

Instead, the MACC couriered questions to the private investigator in July last year. Balasubramaniam’s lawyers handed the answers to the MACC within the same month, but have yet to get any feedback.

Balasubramaniam was also questioned by French prosecutor M Ryckewaert at the Centrale de la Police Judiciare in Paris last year on what he knew about an alleged meeting in Paris among Altantuya, Najib and political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda.