Three held over murder of Arab Malaysian Banking Group founder

Police have arrested a man and two women in connection with the murder of Arab Malaysian Banking Group founder Hussain Ahmad Najadi, Kuala Lumpur CID chief Datuk Ku Chin Wah said today.

He said the 42-year-old man, who is believed to have been with the prime suspect in the case during the shooting of Hussain on July 27 in Lorong Ceylon in the heart of the city, turned himself in at the Kuala Lumpur Police headquarters at 10 pm yesterday.

"Police had raided his house in Selangor earlier but the man was not at home," he told a news conference here.

He said the two women, aged 47 and 61, were trustees at a Chinese temple near where Hussain was gunned down, and were picked up at 1.30 pm yesterday in the vicinity.

Ku said the two women were expected to divulge important information on the motive for the killing.

"We were made to understand that Hussain was involved in negotiations at which he tried to save the temple land from being sold or the temple demolished.

"However, that is only preliminary information. We will conduct further investigation to determine the motive for the murder," he said, adding that Hussain's wife, who was injured in the shooting, was unable as yet to furnish any information.

Ku also said that the taxi driver who was detained last Tuesday in Sri Petaling pointed out to police a house in Brickfields where police recovered a Walther 9mm pistol in the letter box.

"That pistol was not used in the murder of Hussain," he said.

Ku said the police appealed for the cooperation of the public to help trace one Kong Swee Kuan, 44, who is also known by the nickname Sei Ngan Chai or Ah Chian, to help in the investigation.

Hussain, 75, was killed and his wife, Chong Mei Kuen, 49, injured when they were shot at from close range at a car park after they had emerged from the Chinese temple in Lorong Ceylon.

Hussain took two bullets in the chest and died on the spot while his wife was injured in the left wrist and right thigh.