MANILA, Philippines – Homicide investigators of the Manila Police District (MPD) were left with only two empty shells as leads to the gunman who killed late Thursday afternoon a 63-year-old man inside the Islamic Center in Quiapo, Manila.

This developed after the relatives of the victim allegedly cleaned up the crime scene, police said.

Homicide section and Scene of the Crime Office (SOCO) personnel stumbled onto a crime scene with no body and no clues at unit 96 at the 3rd floor of the Islamic Center in Quiapo, where they were supposed to have found Ibrahim Nur Amir who was shot to death.

When PO2 Joseph Kabigting and SPO2 Danilo Vidad went to the crime scene, they noted in their report that “the cadaver was immediately brought by his relatives at the Muslim mosque as part of their tradition and belief.”

They recovered only two empty shells from a .45 caliber pistol.

Initial reports from the MPD Sta. Mesa police station 8 revealed that the shooting happened at around 5 p.m. Thursday, inside Amir’s unit, where the victim allegedly died from two bullet wounds in the shoulder and in the stomach.

Homicide investigators said that even if two empty shells were found, they still had no way of ascertaining they were fired by Amir’s assailant.

Nevertheless, police investigators are still conducting follow-up operations to locate possible witnesses to the shooting.