KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian police are re-opening investigations into the gruesome murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006.

"I can confirm we are re-opening investigations," Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun told The Star news site on Thursday (June 21).

He said police were re-opening investigations based on the old police report and a new one lodged in Dang Wangi, where Kuala Lumpur's district police headquarters are.

Kuala Lumpur deputy police chief Zainuddin Yaacob confirmed that the father of Ms Altantuya, Mr Setev Shaariibuu, lodged a report at Dang Wangi around noon on Wednesday (June 20).

Ms Altantuya, 28, was killed and her body blown up with explosives at a secondary jungle just outside Kuala Lumpur in October 2006.

In 2009, former police commandos Sirul Azhar Umar and Azilah Hadri were found guilty of her murder.

The Court of Appeal overturned their sentences in 2013 but, upon the prosecution's appeal in 2015, the sentences were upheld by the Federal Court.

But Sirul had by then fled to Australia. He was detained by Australian Immigration at a detention centre in Sydney after Interpol issued a red notice on him.

He has been at the detention centre since 2015.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad met Mr Shaariibuu on Wednesday and agreed the case should be re-opened, according to her family's lawyer Ramkarpal Singh, who was at the meeting.