The amount of money Khaled Malas was trying to recover from a debtor is revealed, but he would never be able to bring that money home
The mother of a man shot at a rural property is desperately pleading for help to find her son.
From her home 14,000 kilometres away in Lebanon, Doha Al Hamoui spoke exclusively to 7NEWS as detectives put their search on hold.
“My son has been missing for four days. I have absolutely no idea where he is, whether he is alive or dead,” she said.
The Lebanese community is rallying for answers, holding grave fears for father of three Khaled Malas.
The 37-year-old was shot in the torso at the Wildwood property in Melbourne’s north and possibly dumped nearby, but detectives still can’t find him.
Malas was last seen on Wednesday evening at the alleged shooter’s home to collect a debt.
“It is quite a bit of money that he was trying to seek to recover,” legal expert Nazim Elbardouh said.
It’s said to be more than $500,000, but by the time police arrived, the victim was not located at the scene.
“It’s like the usual story that you hear every day, that someone gets killed or kidnapped and the body can’t be found,” Elbardouh said.
“Did they throw him into the river? I don’t know anything,” Al Hamoui said.
“I sit beside the phone all day waiting for news to reach me and there is nothing.”
The search was paused for on Sunday, with the nearby creek too high.
Police only have enough evidence to charge the alleged shooter with recklessly causing serious injury. He was remanded in custody and will remain there until at least November.
“They can’t charge him with murder because you need to first be assured and have evidence that he has been killed,” Elbardouh said.
Melbourne’s Lebanese diaspora, meanwhile, has joined the calls for information
“We would appreciate that the authority puts greater pressure on him to tell us where Khaled Malas is,” a community leader said.
SOURCE: 7 NEWS
https://7news.com.au/news/crime/khaled-malas-mothers-desperate-plea-for-missing-son-shot-at-wildwood-property-in-melbournes-north-c-22765993
