PETALING JAYA: Six years ago, missing pastor Raymond Koh (pic) received a bullet that was sent to his home, revealed a close friend who is distraught over his abduction.
He said Koh then lodged a police report about the death threat.
Declining to be identified, the 56-year-old director of Harapan Komuniti said the incident happened after the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) conducted a raid on a thanksgiving and fund-raising dinner organised by the group at a church in Petaling Jaya in 2011.
“There have been no other death threats since and I don’t know who would want to abduct or hurt him,” he said when contacted.
He said Koh set up Harapan Komuniti in 2004 to help single mothers, drug addicts and those with HIV/ AIDS.
The community centre in Taman Sri Manja here also served as a place for children to learn English, have free tuition or do their homework.
An employee at Harapan Komuniti’s centre, who also requested anonymity, said she last saw “Uncle Koh” on Feb 7.
“He was his normal self and discussed matters about the centre,” she said.
She said even parents of the children who came for tuition classes on weekends were concerned about Koh’s well-being.
“Koh was very passionate about the community here; he wanted the children to have a place to read as he believed through education, good values could be instilled in them,” she said.
Lawyer Annou Xavier, who represented Harapan Komuniti during the Jais raid in 2011, was called in by the police to help investigations on Tuesday night.
Annou said his statement was recorded.
Others connected to the NGO also had their statements recorded earlier, he added.
“Police are trying to get as much information as possible for some leads,” he said.
Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said police had formed a task force to search for Koh.
Khalid said the task force would be headed by Selangor Criminal Investigation Department chief Senior Asst Comm Fadzil Ahmat.
“We have recorded statements from eight witnesses who we believe can assist us. We also call upon any witness who can assist us in the investigation to come forward,” he told a press conference yesterday.
Koh was abducted last Monday by a group of masked men at Jalan SS4B/10, Petaling Jaya, less than 100m from the police housing complex.
He was driving a silver car bearing licence plate ST 5515 D.
His family has raised the reward amount for information on his whereabouts to RM100,000 from RM10,000. So far, the family has not received no new lead.
