A man who was found dead in a car which was partially submerged in a mining pool at Jalan Rantau Panjang, Bestari Jaya, last Aug 30, was believed to have been killed over a gecko lizard, estimated to be worth RM1 million in the black market.

Following the incident, police have detained 16 men and the owner of the gecko lizard  in Selangor and Perak since Sept 1 to facilitate investigations into the death of Syairul Helmi Azhar, 24.

The owner of the lizard, a 60-year-old woman, was arrested in Kuala Selangor yesterday.

Selangor police chief Mohd Shukri Dahlan told a media conference in Shah Alam yesterday that the men were believed to have been hired by the woman to locate Syairul Helmi, who was said to have gone missing with the lizard.

The suspects were said to have found the victim, after which a fight broke out that led to one of the suspects to fire a shot which hit the victim.

Mohd Shukri said police seized several items from the suspects, including an iron pipe, six rounds of live ammunition, three spent shells, nine handphones and a screwdriver.

“We have yet to find the gecko lizard,” he added.

- Bernama