The Oriental Daily reported that according to a source, four of the eight suspects were believed to be part of a contract killer syndicate that had been operating in the country for some time.
“All the suspects have a history of criminal records and one of them is believed to be the syndicate’s middleman who deals with clients.”
The source said initial investigations revealed the syndicate’s fees depended on the background of the target, and could range from RM10,000 to RM80,000.
In the Taman OUG shooting case, the source said the prime suspect paid RM50,000 to the syndicate to “take” the victim’s life.
Police were now investigating if the same syndicate was involved in the recent spate of shootings in the country.
Meanwhile, Sin Chew Daily reported that one of the suspects arrested yesterday was the assailant in the Taman OUG shooting, while another was a middleman.
It is believed that police are trying to determine if the assailant was the shooter or the pillion rider on the motorcycle. They are still hunting for one more person involved in the shooting.
In a Bernama report, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Rashid Ibrahim said the eight suspects, aged between 20 to 50, had been remanded for seven days.
He said with the arrest of the suspects, the case had been declared closed.
The eight suspects were arrested around Kuala Lumpur and Perak by Bukit Aman’s special task force on organised crimes (Stafoc).
In the Taman OUG incident, Renyce Wong Siew Ling, 32, died after being shot at close range by two men on a motorcycle at about 2.30pm on July 6.
One of the five shots fired hit her neck, while Wong’s eight-year old daughter, who was seated beside her, was also shot and later underwent abdominal surgery.
Wong’s husband told police that one of the suspects arrested was a ceramic tile dealer who had disappeared after his wife invested millions in his ceramic tile business.