Kuala Lumpur police chief Rusdi Isa said CCTV footage showed that the five vehicles included a Toyota Camry, Perodua Myvi, Nissan Almera, and Nissan Teana.
He added that three of the vehicles had used cloned number plates.
“We met with the registered owners of the vehicles and confirmed that the cars were with them (at the time of the incident). That means the number plates were cloned,” he told a press conference here.
He also said eight suspects were believed to be involved in the abduction, namely the drivers of the five vehicles and three individuals who exited the cars from the passenger doors to take Ling.
Rusdi expressed confidence that Ling was still alive and did not rule out the possibility that she had staged her own abduction.
“It’s possible (that she staged her abduction). There are many possibilities. Whatever it is, we will eliminate these possibilities one by one (in our investigation),” he said.
Rusdi said CCTV footage also showed that only two perpetrators were wearing police vests during Ling’s abduction.
He said that for certain operations, policemen would not wear police vests in order to conceal their identity.
He also said he could confirm that the police had not conducted any operations at the time of the incident, making it highly possible that Ling’s abductors had worn the vests to impersonate policemen.
Rusdi said police had drawn a photofit of one suspect which was only about 40% accurate. “It’s not very clear yet,” he added.
When asked whether Ling had left the country, he said immigration records showed that her last known trip was to Singapore in January.
“There is no record of her exiting Malaysia after that. But we have to remember, some people leave the country illegally,” he said.
Ling went missing on April 9 while on her way to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s headquarters in Putrajaya to give a statement.
According to her brother, Simon, the e-hailing vehicle she was in was intercepted by several vehicles, one of which she was ordered to get into.
The e-hailing driver who took Ling to the MACC headquarters said on Tuesday that her abductors were wearing police outfits.