Abduction: Cops find new leads, but lips sealed for Ling's safety

Summary

• Police have found new leads in Pamela Ling’s abduction case.

• Kuala Lumpur police chief says they cannot share much, but believes Ling is still alive.

• Rusdi says the police are looking at all possible angles, including whether Ling staged her own abduction.

Police have found new leads on the Pamela Ling abduction case, according to Kuala Lumpur police chief Rusdi Isa.

However, he told a press conference this afternoon that they could not reveal much so as not to jeopardise the victim’s safety.

“Of course, we find new leads every day during our investigation process. But we cannot share them. Otherwise, our case will be jeopardised.

“The most important thing now is that we want to save the victim and find her as soon as possible.

“We cannot act rashly because any mistake can risk the victim's safety,” Rusdi said when asked if police have new leads on the case.

The police commissioner believed that Ling was still alive. Based on immigration records, he said the victim is also possibly still in the country.

“There are cases where people who have gone missing for a long time but still alive, while some others die even after being missing for a short period.

“But I believe she is still alive,” he told reporters.

Suspects

During the press conference at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters, he revealed that Ling’s abduction was perpetrated by at least eight individuals.

He said the kidnappers came in five cars, but investigations found they were fitted with cloned registration plates.

Among the cars used in the kidnapping were a Toyota Camry, Nissan Teana, Nissan Almera and Perodua Myvi.

Rusdi said Ling’s abductors immediately fled Putrajaya as soon as they took her.

Police investigation revealed that the abductors had split ways when fleeing, but Rusdi declined to elaborate, except saying the police are working to track them.

According to Rusdi, CCTV recordings at the location showed a slightly different situation than what the Grab driver who ferried Ling during the incident described.

The e-hailing driver stated in his report that he saw a man wearing a police vest and a woman in a police uniform among the abductors.

However, Rusdi said the footage showed two individuals wearing police vests, believed to be impersonating the authorities to confuse the public.

Looking at all angles

Rusdi further said that there was no police operation at the location at that time.

"What I can confirm is that police did not have any operation, no police officer was carrying out any type of operation at the location during that time.

"There is a high possibility that they used (the police outfits) as a disguise to trick police and the public into believing this abduction was perpetrated by the police."

Rusdi also said investigators managed to get a photofit of one of the suspects, but it didn’t help much as it was of low quality.

To a question whether police are also investigating the possibility that Ling had staged her own abduction, he did not dismiss the possibility, saying police are looking at all angles.

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