More details have emerged about the cold-blooded murder of the senior party leader on Friday, with police revealing that the bullet had gone through to the back of his head, reported The Star daily.

Adding to speculations of a professional hit was the fact that no traces of a struggle were found, nor was anything taken from Datuk Krishnasamy.

The 61-year-old leader was found slumped in a pool of blood in a lift in the state MIC headquarters in Johor Baru, shortly after being seen at a nearby restaurant.

Another MIC leader, Ms R. Vithiya Mohan, found his body at 2.10pm while waiting for the lift at the lobby. 'I think I fainted because the next thing I knew, some people were reviving me,' The Star quoted her as saying.

Witnesses saw a man running from the building with a package and a helmet. He was described as medium-built, in his 30s and about 1.5m tall. Some said that they saw him fleeing on a red motorcycle.

Police have released a photofit of the suspect, and blocked all exit points in the state to prevent him from escaping.

While investigators have yet to find the motive behind the killing, the MIC's top leader yesterday revealed that the victim had received death threats a week before he was gunned down, Bernama reported.

MIC president S. Samy Vellu said that before he left for India on an official visit, Datuk Krishnasamy had told him of receiving threatening calls.

'He said the threats went on for a week but he did not take them seriously. I did advise him to be careful,' Datuk Seri Samy Vellu said after visiting the former Tenggaroh assemblyman's home in Segamat, Johor.

The police said that they would be following up on his remarks and interviewing him.

Asked whether he believed that the murder was politically motivated, Datuk Seri Samy Vellu replied: 'I cannot say whether it has something to do with politics, a private matter or in connection with the constituency. An elected representative has many connections.'

The New Straits Times newspaper speculated that business rivalry was a possible reason for the murder.

Quoting unnamed sources, it said Datuk Krishnasamy had owned a construction company and had held stakes in several restaurants in Johor Baru. One of his business partners was a man with links to the underworld.

Their relationship turned sour two years ago when the police closed in on the business partner's activities. The man, from Kedah, was being investigated for passport forgery and human trafficking.

Datuk Seri Samy Vellu said that he was disappointed with the security lapses in the MIC building. There were no closed-circuit television cameras installed, and the security guard on duty was away delivering files to another building when the politician was shot dead.

kumhor@sph.com.sg