Sabah police making inroads into missing Italian

KOTA KINABALU:  Sabah police are making inroads in tracking down an Italian national who was last seen in the state's east coast more than a week ago.

State Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman said they believe there were no criminal elements in the apparent disappearance of 52-year-old William Bocchi.

He said since the initial report that Bocchi was last seen arriving at the Lahad Datu airport on Oct 13 from Kota Kinabalu, police had since determined that the businessman had taken a bus from there to Sandakan on the same day.

Upon reaching Sandakan, Bocchi had checked into a hotel in the downtown area at about 9.25pm on Oct 13 and left on the following day.

"Since he is a businessman, he may have met up with some contacts," Jalaluddin said, adding that Immigration Department records show this was Bocchi's first visit to Sabah.

Jalaluddin said police stations in the state's east coast have been alerted to be on the lookout for the missing Italian, adding that his picture has been distributed as well.

He said police were also seeking information from the public, especially tour and travel operators, who may have spotted Bocchi.

The Italian embassy in Kuala Lumpur had been kept abreast of efforts to locate Bocchi and they in turn have been updating the businessman's family. An embassy official is also on the way to Sabah.

Bocchi, who arrived in Malaysia through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA 2) on Oct 12 flew over to Kota Kinabalu the following day before taking a connecting Maswings flight to Lahad Datu.

Lahad Datu businessman Sia Yiik Huon, had reported Bocchi’s absence on Monday after being alerted by a friend in Kuala Lumpur who in turn had received an email from Bocchi’s colleague whom he only knew as Fabio.

Sia had told police that in his email from Italy, Fabio had said that Bocchi was due to return home on Oct 16.

Sia had told police that Bocchi, who was in the financial service business and a sales representative for compressor distributor, was supposed to have met a client in Lahad Datu.

Jalaluddin said teams from the Lahad Datu police Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Special Branch and other units were involved in the search for Bocchi.