The Singaporean woman who was believed to have been raped and murdered in one of the condominiums in an upscale town in Kuala Lumpur may have gone there to get clothes and resources for her business.

The late Mahani Abdullah, 50, had opened a retail boutique at block 703, Bedok Reservoir Road last year.

She was known to have visited KL frequently, sometimes with her husband, Mr Kassim Mohd Thamby, 55, who works in security management.

The couple have a son, Adam, 17.

However, her family and close relatives do not know anything about her relationship with the 34-year-old Algerian who was arrested as a suspect in the murder of the late Mahani Abdullah. Her body was found naked and earlier reports stated that the cause of death was that she had been hit with a blunt weapon.

The police have dismissed the possibility of the victim being robbed as her documents and personal things had not gone missing.

Her death came as a shock to her family here in Singapore. When contacted yesterday, one of her family members, 52, who refused to have his or her name published, said: "It is true that Mahani always visit Kuala Lumpur, but we do not know the connection between the condominium and the Algerian national in this case."

According the relative, the victim, who used to take orders to tailor made-to-measure clothes, had opened a retail boutique Adkass.Hanis Creation LLB. The shop was closed down before Ramadhan this year (Ramadhan was in mid-Sept).

The shop owner has put up a 'For rental' sign outside the shop, as the victim had not been paying rental for two months.

The shop owner, who refused to have his or her name published, had tried contacting the victim and her family but their handphone numbers had been changed.

"I wanted to find her at her house but it was difficult as before the shop closed, Mahani had said that her house in Choa Chu Kang had been sold," the shop owner said.

Other shop-owners around the neighbourhood described the victim as someone who is friendly, cheerful and not a "busybody". One of the shop-owners, Mr Tay Ngian Heng, said that the victim was pretty and stylish.

When the Kuala Lumpur Crime Investigation Department was contacted yesterday, Mr Ku Chin Wah said that family of the vicim claimed the body of the victim. Her body had gone straight to Pusara Abadi cemetary in Singapore from the mortuary at Kuala Lumpur Hospital. Her body was buried at about 7.15 pm yesterday.

Mr Kassim and his son was too sad to be interviewed.

Content translated from Berita Harian article which was published on Nov 7