EVEN in midday, there’s an eerie silence surrounding Jalan Mawar 2 in Taman Kosaso, Rawang. About 50 lower-middle income households occupy the street deep within the Sungai Buaya village in Selangor.

Residents of the semi-urban neighbourhood are still in shock over the kidnap-cum-murder of a 55-year-old property developer who was held captive in a house on the street. The corner lot where Arumugam Renganathan was locked up for more than two weeks is marked by overgrown weeds and construction waste in the front yard.

One of his kidnappers  later led a police team to his decomposed body in a jungle some 20km away.

Reports said Arumugam was kidnapped on June 10 while he was jogging in Bandar Sri Damansara. It is believed he was imprisoned in the house before he was murdered and his body dumped on June 26.

Neighbours told The Malaysian Insight that the house was a weekend hangout for a group of men.

“There is nothing there except for construction materials which are stored in and outside the house,” a teenager said.

“I got to know some of those people who hung out there. There was nothing strange about them. They came to have drinks, spend a few hours in the house and then they would leave.

“None of us suspected anything amiss until the cops turned up on June 27, a day after the body was found, and arrested them.

The teenager said he was shocked to learn that some of the men he had befriended were detained for the murder.

“I never thought that a crime could happen here. My family was in disbelief too, maybe because of the seriousness of the case.”

A housewife who lived next door said she was stranded in Pahang due to the movement control order (MCO) and had come back a few days before the case became public.

“I didn’t hear or see anything. I am still under confinement so I don’t go out much.

“One day there were a lot of police officers and people with handcuffs were brought into the house.

“It was only then that I found out that someone was kidnapped and killed before his body was dumped elsewhere.

“This housing area is very quiet, quiet in a scary way. So every time I am alone, I feel uneasy,” she said.

Victim knew his abductors

It was reported that Arumugam, who was a “Datuk Seri”, was kidnapped by three men disguised as police officers.

He was taken to the house in Taman Kosaso where he was held for 17 days.

It is believed that Arumugam was beaten by the captors before his body was dumped in Batu 27, Rawang, near the Bandar Tasik Puteri.

Police are awaiting the post mortem results to find out the cause of death.

Police had said that Arumugam’s family had received a call demanding RM150 million for his release. No ransom was paid.

It was learnt that several calls were made to the family after which police made a breakthrough in the investigations.

“We were able to trace the suspects. From one suspect to another, until we got 11 of them,” a source said.

“We believe Arumugam knew his abductors and that was why he was killed.

Among those arrested was a businessman, also a “Datuk Seri”. He was a candidate from an opposition party in the 2013 general election.

Sources said the suspect and the victim knew each other as both were involved in a multi-million ringgit property deal that had turned sour.

Police are now investigating the suspect and the victim’s background.

Eleven suspects have been taken into custody. The orders for their remand have been extended until July 10.

A police source said investigators are currently determining the role each suspect played in the case.

Police believe the other 10 suspects, one of whom is a Bangladeshi, worked for the “Datuk Seri”. – July 5, 2020.