JOHOR BARU: The five suspects involved in the kidnapping of Albertine Leo Jia Hui have no connection whatsoever with the six-year-old or her family, say Johor cops.
Johor police chief Comm M. Kumar said that while police are still investigating the motive behind the kidnapping, it has been established that there are no links between the suspects and the victim.
“There is no connection between the suspects and the victim or her family members.
“This part of the investigation has been completed and it has been established that they do not know each other,” he said at the Johor police headquarters here on Thursday (July 25).
He was responding to questions from the media about the relationship between the suspects and the victim’s family.
This comes following speculations and comments made on social media alleging that the suspects are friends of the victim’s mother.
Commenting further on the development of the case, Comm Kumar said four of the suspects may be released on police bail once their remand period ends on Friday (July 26).
“The remand period for four of the suspects ends tomorrow (July 26). We may release them under police bail if they are no longer needed to assist in the investigation.
“However, it all depends on the progress of the investigation. Meanwhile, the remand period of the 31-year-old suspect who was found with the victim in Batang Kali will end on Tuesday (July 29),” he said.
Asked about the motive behind the kidnapping and the relationship between the five suspects, he said that the matter is still under investigation.
“Investigations are still ongoing. Once it has been completed, we will call for a press conference to share more about the case,” he said.
Albertine was reported missing during a Bon Odori event at Eco Galleria, Iskandar Puteri last Saturday (July 20).
She was later found at a budget hotel in Batang Kali, Selangor on Tuesday (July 23), some 370km away from where she was last seen.
Five suspects were arrested by the police on Monday and Tuesday, including a 31-year-old man who was found in the same budget hotel room as the girl.
