Missing Malaysian cosmetics millionaire may have been murdered and her body burnt

Malaysian police believe a missing cosmetics millionaire and three of her associates were murdered and their bodies burnt, with their ashes thrown into a river, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Sosilawati Lawiya, 47, who founded the Nouvelle Visages line of cosmetics, was reported missing on August 30 along with her driver, lawyer and a bank officer, after going to discuss a land deal in a town in the state of Selangor.

“I can say that Sosilawati Lawiya and three others are believed to have been murdered and their bodies burnt with ashes strewn in a river near the coast of the south-western part of the state,” Criminal Investigations Department head Bakri Zinin said.

“Police have detained eight suspects in the case and they provided information that led us to the location where the remains were found.

“We will have to do a DNA analysis to fully determine the identity of the remains but we are confident these are the remains of the four.”

Mr Bakri added that one of the detainees was a 38-year-old lawyer who is believed to be the mastermind and who owned the land where the bodies were allegedly burnt.

He said the lawyer, who was handling a land deal for Ms Sosilawati, was also being investigated over the disappearance of four other people.