KUALA LUMPUR (May 8): The police said on Thursday they are confident that the abducted Datin Seri Pamela Ling Yueh is still alive and remains in Malaysia as they continue to search for her whereabouts.

“I believe that she's alive," Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa told a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters, but urged the public to be patient while they investigate the abduction.

"Some people who have been missing for a long time are still alive, while others who went missing recently are already dead,” he said. “You just never know."

Rusdi, however, did not say how the police came to the conclusion that she is still alive.  

He was speaking at a press conference about a police operation that had dismantled a drug distribution syndicate, resulting in the seizure of over RM16 million worth of drugs.

Ling, a 42-year-old businesswoman, was last seen on April 9 when she was supposed to meet the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Putrajaya. However, news reports of her going missing only emerged beginning last week following a public appeal by her family.

She was asked to appear at the MACC headquarters to assist in investigations under the MACC Act 2009 and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act.

On Thursday, Rusdi said the abduction was organised by a group of at least eight individuals travelling in five vehicles, who intercepted Pamela’s e-hailing ride using false car registration plates and police-style vests.

Closed-circuit television footage showed two individuals wearing police vests and one female suspect in a police uniform approaching Ling’s e-hailing vehicle on April 9, the day she was reported missing. The videos show that she exited the vehicle without resistance, he said.

“The vests resemble those used by the police in official operations, but we can confirm there was no such operation by PDRM (the Royal Malaysian Police) at the time or location of the incident,” Rusdi said.

The suspects’ vehicles — believed to be a Toyota Camry, Perodua Myvi, Nissan Almera and two others — were positioned to block the car carrying Ling from the front, back and sides.

The legitimate, registered owners have since been interviewed and confirmed that their vehicles never left their possession, Rusdi said, noting that the police are currently tracing the actual vehicles used and their movements post-interception.

The Immigration Department, meanwhile, found no record of Ling departing Malaysia legally since her last recorded exit to Singapore in January, indicating that she is still likely in the country, Rusdi said.

Ling, who is a key witness in a corruption and money laundering probe, had filed a judicial review against the MACC two days before her disappearance. She is also embroiled in a high-stakes, acrimonious divorce and asset dispute with her husband, a prominent businessman.

The affidavit filed by Ling in the judicial review claimed that she was afraid for her safety in Malaysia and described her husband as “a person of influence”.

The police are exploring all angles — including the potential involvement of hired individuals posing as law enforcement — though no suspects have been arrested to date, Rusdi said.

"We will conduct a thorough probe from all angles and eliminate them one by one," he stressed.

As part of their ongoing investigation, Rusdi said the police are working to record statements from several individuals currently residing in Singapore believed to have relevant information about the case.

That includes Ling’s family members, who are in Singapore, and a few other witnesses who could not be named for now, he said, adding that the police will consider other measures, including seeking assistance from their Singapore counterparts, if the witnesses do not cooperate.

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