The family of the woman shot dead at Taman OUG has denied that she was involved in the so-called ‘Nanning scam’, which was speculated to have led to her murder.

Quoting unnamed family members speaking at her funeral wake, China Press reported that the deceased merely dealt in real estate in Nanning, China, but this was misconstrued to be involvement in the scam.

Instead, they claim that she had been cheated of millions of ringgit 10 months ago while investment in a ceramic tile shop franchise.

“After the deceased was cheated, she hired a private eye to track down the 40-odd year old local Chinese conman. It is believed that after he (the conman) got wind of this, he hired a contract killer,” the report said.

Earlier today, China Press had carried a report quoting police claiming that the 32-year old woman was involved in the Nanning scam and was a senior member of the syndicate behind it.

Oriental Daily also carried a similar report, saying that the murder may have been linked to the victim’s alleged involvement in an unnamed Ponzi scheme in China.

The Oriental Daily report said both the victim and her 39-year old husband had allegedly been involved in the scheme. Kuala Lumpur CID chief Rusdi Mohd Isa reportedly confirmed this, and that police had not ruled it out as a possible motive for the murder.

However, Rusdi stressed that the actual motive of the shooting was still being investigated.

“The deceased’s husband has admitted to running an illegal Ponzi scheme while in China, and had recently returned to Malaysia after turning a profit,” the CID chief was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, New Straits Times quoted him as saying that police will examine the victim’s business connections closely and will leave no stone unturned.

An autopsy will be conducted on her remains today.

“Our initial investigation showed that the husband of the victim runs a cosmetics business.

“We are now checking if there are other businesses connected with the case,” he said.

The NST also quoted him saying that the deceased’s eight-year old daughter is now in stable condition, having been struck by a stray bullet while sitting in the front seat during the shooting.

“She will be undergoing a second surgery to remove a slug from her heart,” he said.

According to Oriental Daily, the incident took place at about 2.20pm yesterday near a food court in Taman OUG.

The 32-year old victim was there with five children - ages between four to eight - and a maid for lunch.

The group was supposed to join the deceased’s husband after lunch and travel to Penang for a holiday. Instead, two suspects drove up to her vehicle after lunch and fired five shots at close range.

One shot struck the woman in the neck, killing her on the spot.