Bounty poser on petrol station murder victim (Updated)

JOHOR BARU: A man who was brutally murdered at a petrol station in Johor Baru on Sunday may have had a price on his head.
About a month prior to the killing, an unknown party had posted a "bounty notice" on the victim on social media.
The notice, written in Chinese, had a picture and description of the deceased and a mobile telephone number of an unnamed individual offering RM23,888 for information on the victim's whereabouts, or RM32,888 for his "capture and delivery".
Johor police were not reachable for comments on the matter but with the development, it is now believed the four killers may have been bounty hunters seeking to cash in on the reward.
In PUTRAJAYA, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said Bukit Aman had contacted the Johor police chief on Monday to set up a special team to speed up investigations.
"We view the case as a serious matter and we want the special team to gather evidence, and get to the bottom of the case," he said after attending the 25th Annual General Meeting of Security Services Association Malaysia.
The victim has been identified and found to have criminal records, he said, without elaborating.
He added police had information the incident was possibly linked to a money-lending issue and a territorial dispute.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed the murder was over a dispute between two underworld gangs.
He said police have established the four assailants and the victim were from different gangs.The 44-year-old victim was a leader of his gang.
"Police have identified the four suspects, and they will not get away with this," he told a press conference after attending the Home Ministry's monthly assembly today.
He added that the victim's gang members may attempt to avenge the deceased, but gave an assurance that the police are prepared for any eventuality.
"Police will continue action against these underworld gangs."
At the scene of the murder today, a woman who is believed to be the victim's wife performed special prayers to appease the victim's soul.
She was seen with two women during the one-hour prayer session, that was conducted by two Buddhist monks.