IPOH, April 6 — Police have not received any reports about witch doctor rituals to find Mohammad Ashraf Hassan, 29, who went missing while participating in the Gopeng Ultra Trail 2019 on March 23, according to Perak police chief Datuk Razarudin Husain @ Abd Rasid.

He rubbished talk that such rituals were taking place, saying all search operations for him followed normal forms.

“No witch doctor rituals, asking his mother to hold special prayers for his safety is a normal thing. Yesterday, special prayers were also held for his safety after the Friday prayers at the Idris Shah II Mosque,” he told reporters after flagging off the “Kembara Kapcai” event in conjunction with the 212th Police Day celebration here today.

On the organising of a large-scale search for the missing runner by various parties in Gopeng today, Razarudin advised that any such operation must be led by police.

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The official search and rescue operation for Mohammad Ashraf , from Muar, Johor was called off after a week when the search team could not find any clues as to his whereabouts. Police had said the trail in the area which has many caves did not pose any safety risks to the participants. — Bernama