Asger Abdul Wahab said Usman Chan Bacha, 41, who ran a chain of clinics, hardly refused anyone who sought his help.

“He was a nice man and well-educated. He would help patients who didn’t have enough money and tell them not to worry about payment,” he said.

According to the police, Usman was strangled on April 26 by an acquaintance who failed to extort RM228,000 from him to pay his lawyer’s fees. His remains were reported to have been stuffed in a bag and thrown into a ravine in a secluded area in Hulu Langat. A suspect has been arrested.

Asger said Usman was deeply passionate about biochemistry and health, despite not being a medical doctor.

Usman’s Linkedin profile stated that he had a doctorate in biochemistry from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was previously attached to the Harvard School of Public Health.

He returned to Malaysia from the US two years ago to open a chain of clinics.

Usman, who was a bachelor and the youngest of four siblings, had a clinic in Kajang, Bukit Bintang, Bangsar, Penang and Negeri Sembilan.

Asger said the last time he met Usman was during a family gathering on the second day of Hari Raya on April 23.

“The family was shocked to hear from the police on Friday that he had been murdered,” he said. “We didn’t disclose the news to his mother immediately as we were hoping the remains were not his.

“We only broke the news after identifying his remains at the hospital.”

He said Usman’s death was also a loss to the scientific world. “He was a scientist who studied DNA. He had also authored a book on SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).”