Search for ‘traitor’ who sold out Sam ‘The Punisher’ Abdulrahim
Members of Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim’s inner circle are reportedly searching for the ‘traitor’ who revealed his location before he was shot.
National
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A hunt is underway for the individual who sold out the location of underworld figure Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim before he was gunned down in an alleged ambush in a Melbourne car park.
Abdulrahim was shot multiple times, including in the head, while walking to his car with his girlfriend in the car park of Quest serviced apartments on High St in Preston about 10am on Tuesday, just days after returning to Australia.
The 32-year-old had a reported $1 million murder contract on his head and was on the run following a failed hit in May last year.
Underworld sources told The Age, Abdulrahim’s inner circle are wasting no time in hunting for the ‘traitor’ who revealed the whereabouts of the 32-year-old to a suspected hit team.
According to the publication, only a few people knew Abdulrahim’s movements and location before he was killed, with sources claiming there was only a brief opportunity to target the boxer.
Abdulrahim had changed accommodation at least once before checking into the apartment and had only been staying at the complex for a day before he was shot.
He was planning to fly out of the country on Thursday, sources claimed.
A team of four people were believed to be waiting for Abdulrahi in the underground car park, which is restricted to guests only and accessible by a swipe card or fob, the publication reports.
It is not known how those responsible grained entry to the car park.
Officers believe a white Porsche SUV, which was seen leaving the carpark immediately after the shooting and was later set alight, may be involved.
Police are also looking at a grey Ford Ranger found within 90 minutes of the attack, again torched, near Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport.
The vehicle had a “distinctive sticker of bull horns” on the rear window of the canopy is strongly believed to be have been linked to Abdulrahim’s death.
Officers have appealed for anyone who may have seen either vehicle travelling through the area in the lead up to, or after, the incident to contact police.
Abdulramin’s death comes after multiple attempts on his life, including two shootings at his family home in Thomastown, prompting him to go into hiding. Police had been aware of the multiple threats to his life in recent years.
Before his death, Abdulrahim could he heard in a leaked video taunting tobacco kingpin Kazem “Kaz” Hamad over failed attempts on his life during a phone call.
In the undated video, obtained the The Herald Sun, Abdulrahim could be heard jesting with his enemy about surviving a murder attempt at his cousin’s funeral in 2022.
“Hey, I’m still alive brother. Eight shots later and I’m still alive,” Abdulrahim told Hamad, who was calling from a car somewhere in the Middle East.
“You’re lucky. Luck, luck, luck,” Hamad replied.
Abdulrahim’s car was sprayed with bullets as he left his cousin’s funeral at Fawkner cemetery in June 2022.
The former boxer and father was shot eight times and was placed in intensive care in hospital.
Mourners gather at Pusher’s funeral
Mourners gathered in Melbourne for Abdulrahim’s funeral on Thursday morning, two days after he was shot.
Abdulrahim’s body arrived in a gold coffin at the Alawi Islamic Association of Victoria in the northern suburb of Epping.
Attendees with possible gang affiliations could be seen among the mourners gathering for the funeral, NewsWire reports.
Three men arrived riding high-powered motorbikes, one of which was brandished with a decal reading “The Punisher” – an ode to Abdulrahim’s boxing moniker.
A funeral notice described Abdulrahim as a man “full of life” who was “taken too soon”.
“He was loved by all and his smile would always light up the room,” it read.
He will be dearly missed but never forgotten.
“A loving father, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, partner, and friend.”
Speaking from the scene in the suburb of Preston, just hours after the killing, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas was asked if it was “only a matter of time” given the threats made against Abdulrahim.
“I think common sense prevails,” Inspector Thomas said.
“Perhaps that is the case. But, at this stage we have nothing to suggest there was a live threat that was imminent.”
– With NCA NewsWire
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Originally published as Search for ‘traitor’ who sold out Sam ‘The Punisher’ Abdulrahim
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