Sam Abdulrahim knew his days were numbered but his family is reeling at his ruthless killing
Even as his dangerous underworld foes closed in, the man known as “The Punisher” was juggling to remain in constant touch with loved ones while trying to stay one step ahead of his pursuers.
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Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim remained close to his parents and siblings even as his dangerous underworld foes closed in.
The boxer and former bikie stayed in constant touch with loved ones while juggling international travel and regular address and phone number changes to stay ahead of his pursuers.
The toddler Abdulrahim shared with his glamorous lawyer wife, Chloe Wakim, has been left without a father after Tuesday’s contract hit at Preston.
The 32-year-old had been staying at a Quest apartment complex.
He was with a girlfriend when the shooters pounced in the Quest’s underground carpark about 10.30am.
She escaped the ambush unharmed, but could be seen being consoled by members of Abdulrahim’s family at the murder scene.
Close associates of Abdulrahim have told the Herald Sun that the hunted man knew his days were numbered, but his family have still been left in a state of “complete shock” by his brazen execution-style murder.
Dozens of relatives and close friends of the slain underworld player descended on the scene of the shooting less than an hour after the group of assassins opened fire.
His mother and father have remained in his corner since he emerged as a major player in Melbourne’s underworld in the last decade.
Even when he first burst into the headlines for a wild court brawl with a rival kickboxer in 2015, Abdulrahim’s father became swept up in the mayhem.
Abdulrahim was fined $2000 for the outburst, which shut down the entire third floor of the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, while his father was issued a $750 fine.
Never before seen pictures obtained by the Herald Sun show Abdulrahim’s parents beaming with pride with their arms around their son while backstage at one of his boxing matches.
The couple wore “Team Punisher” T-shirts in support of their fighter son, who had just taken out a major title in 2021.
Also seen celebrating at the event was Abdulrahim’s wife and their young daughter, donning the same “Punisher” merchandise as his parents.
Their relationship is understood to have faltered in recent times, with Abdulrahim sharing custody of the young girl that allowed he and Ms Wakim to care for her on an alternating schedule.
The couple began seeing one another following the murder of drug dealer Kadir “KD” Ors in 2016, which is believed to have caused tensions in Melbourne’s underworld.
It is understood Ms Wakim’s family were less than thrilled with the pairing.
Ms Wakim was married to the slain dealer when he was shot dead by Notorious Crime Family founder George Marrogi, who is serving jail time for Ors’ murder.
Abdulrahim largely left his family out of his criminal pursuits, but they have at times become caught in the crossfire of his conflict with a list of enemies that only grew longer in the years leading up to his murder.
Would-be killers exploited Abdulrahim’s love for his parents by using them in their entrapment ploy to lure him out of his home in one of the several attempts on his life last year.
In May, one crew set the older couple’s cars on fire while they sat parked outside their Brunswick home with the hope their son would rush to their aid.
The ploy worked, with another group of gunmen opening fire on the marked man 17 times as he stormed out of his Thomastown home in the early hours of the morning to race to his parents’ home.
It was sheer luck that each bullet missed Abdulrahim, but underworld sources at the time told of their dismay at using his family as part of their kill plot.
On Wednesday, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas of Victoria Police’s Homicide Squad encouraged Abdulrahim’s “distressed” family and close friends to work with police to help catch his killers.
‘Very smooth, very charming’: Beneath the bravado
One of Melbourne’s most-hunted criminals could hold a grudge.
He paraded his fast-paced lifestyle on social media and brazenly taunted his rivals.
Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim became a marked man many years ago, and those closest to him say he made peace with the fact that his days were likely numbered.
“What can I do? When my time is up? My time is up.”
Until his execution-style murder on Tuesday, at least five other attempts on Abdulrahim’s life in almost as many years did not stop him from flaunting his boxing bouts online, holidaying with interstate gangland figures or fuelling long-running feuds with his powerful enemies.
Abdulrahim was regarded as a well-connected player in Melbourne’s Middle-eastern organised crime world.
The Mongols bikie gang recruited him years ago because of his reach into the MEOC sector of Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
Associates said he had a short fuse but that angry outbursts usually passed quickly.
“He’d say the next day, ‘brother, are we good’?” one said.
Those who knew him said he was socially skilled, funny and a smooth-talker.
The associate said anyone who bumped into Abdulrahim by accident not knowing who he was would have thought him good company.
“He was a great talker, very smooth … very charming,” the associate said.
Even as danger from powerful enemies intensified, Abdulrahim was able to find humour.
“What are they going to do? The balls that man had …”
His kneejerk bursts of anger often manifested in the deep-seeded hatred the former bikie-turned-boxer felt for exiled crime boss Kazem “Kaz” Hamad.
The pair has traded blows and threats as far back as 2016, when Notorious Crime Family boss George Marrogi shot dead Hamad’s friend, drug dealer Kadir Ors, in Campbellfield.
Hamad reportedly remains convinced to this day that Abdulrahim was the man that lured Ors to his death – something Abdulrahim repeatedly denied.
The mother of Abdurahim’s young daughter is believed to be the woman Ors was married to when he was murdered.
His preferred name for Hamad was often “that dog”, and the pair, among other interested parties, each made their own attempts to muscle in on Victoria’s black market smoke trade.
Even when in hiding, Abdulrahim rarely stayed off the radar for long.
He repeatedly fled overseas amid the million-dollar contracts on his life, winning titles in Thailand after Melbourne venues due to host his fights were burned to the ground and working as a bodyguard for a Russian mixed martial arts fighter in Malaysia.
The hunted figure showed a soft spot for his family, flying into a rage when his parents were dragged into one attempt on his life in May when attackers set their cars on fire.
His young daughter has been left without a father, with his enraged sister vowing revenge.
Friend Ryan Naumenko said on his Outlaw Media page that flitting from place to place to stay ahead of his pursuers had become a headache for Abdulrahim.
“He always believed he was 10 steps ahead of his enemies, until he wasn’t,” Naumenko said.
“May Sam rest in peace.”
Originally published as Sam Abdulrahim knew his days were numbered but his family is reeling at his ruthless killing
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