Missing man may be victim of Malaysian murders

On January 18,A Muthuraja,a young businessman from Chennai,left for Malaysia to meet his partners,two India-born lawyer brothers.

On January 18,A Muthuraja,a young businessman from Chennai,left for Malaysia to meet his partners,two India-born lawyer brothers. That was the last time his family saw him. Now,investigating a series of murders,including that of a millionaire businesswoman,the police in Malaysia have stumbled upon the remains of a few persons in a farm,and believe one of them could be Muthuraja.

His wife S Usharani appeared at the Kuala Langat police headquarters in Malaysia on Monday afternoon and gave a statement about her husband,after one of the accused reportedly confessed to the murder.

Usharani hopes her husband is alive,but the police believe that he was one of the victims of the lawyer brothers, S Manikavasagam,an MP from Kapar who escorted Usharani,told The Indian Express.

Though the 37-year-old went missing months ago,the disappearance became significant when the lawyer brothers whose names the Malaysian police have not formally let out were arrested along with six of their men for allegedly murdering Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others. A Malaysian businesswoman,47-year-old Lawiya had made a fortune in cosmetics.

She,her lawyer,a CIMB Bank officer,and her driver had gone missing after August 30. She had been involved in a multi-million ringgit property deal at the time.

Officials are continuing searches at the farm belonging to the two Indian lawyer brothers,as it is feared that the total number of victims could be higher,including Muthuraja and a local contractor whose watch has reportedly been found there.

According to Usharani,her husbands trip to Malaysia was supposed to be for a day,and he was to meet the two Indian lawyers,his friends and partners,for a business deal.

Story continues below this ad

However,there is more to the mystery surrounding Muthuraja. When Muthurajas brother Kasi Viswanathan,who runs a restaurant in Russia,met lawyers earlier this year,he was told Muthuraja was in prison on drug-trafficking charges.

Meanwhile,Kasi and Usharani allegedly received a call from two persons claiming to be policemen,demanding money for his release. She recorded the second call,and submitted the same to the Malaysian police as evidence.

Adding to the confusion,though it was initially reported that Muthuraja was a millionaire who was into film financing,veteran producers in Chennai swore there was no such financier in the business.

In a sideshow,it was alleged that Usharani was Muthurajas second wife,and did not have good relations with his family.

Story continues below this ad

Muthurajs kin approached the police there with a formal complaint only on September 8. MP Manikavasagam told the Express that the police were waiting for Kasis brothers to provide DNA samples.