MELAKA: "Boss Mario" who was reported missing slipped into depression after he was unable to raise money to pay bonuses to his staff in conjunction with the Lunar New Year.

       Melaka Tengah OCPD Asst Comm Christopher Patit said the 29-year-old social media influencer and businessman had decided to de-stress at an abandoned house at the back of an "Asam Pedas" restaurant at the heart of the city.

       He said Yew Boon Xiang, 29, who resides in Semabok had stayed at the abandoned house since Friday (Feb 2).

       "Yew had confessed to my officers that he was unable to raise money to pay bonuses to 22 of his staff at two of his sales outlets in Melaka Sentral and Klebang here.

       "He claimed to be under heavy stress and switched off his mobile phone while staying at the site to de-stress," he said on Sunday(Feb 4)

       ACP Christopher Patit said that Yew's brother managed to locate him at a private hospital here at 2.15pm on Sunday(Feb 4)

       He said Yew had admitted himself to the hospital to seek treatment for his stress.

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       ACP Christopher Patit said Yew took an ehailing taxi to the hospital from the abandoned house

       Police had received a missing person report following the disappearance of Yew after leaving Pantai Klebang here early on Friday (Feb 2) morning.

       Yew's brother made a report at the Batang Tiga Police Station at about 9.35pm on Friday (Feb 2) after the former did not answer phone calls when the man arrived at the phone shop in Melaka Central at 8am on the same day.

       Footage extracted from a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera showed Yew had left the house in his Honda City car at 3am on Friday(Feb 2) before the car was parked in Pantai Klebang with no occupants at the house.