KUALA LUMPUR: The police are on the hunt for local rapper Wee Meng Chee, better known as Namewee, in connection with the death of a Taiwanese social media influencer.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Fadil Marsus said the 42-year-old could not be located after the case was reclassified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

"We believe Namewee is aware of the ongoing investigation, which has been reported through both official media and social media channels.

"We have not been able to locate him and we believe he has gone into hiding," he said on Tuesday (Nov 4).

Comm Fadil said the case was initially classified as a sudden death but later reclassified as murder after the investigation made new findings.

Under Section 302, police are required to arrest any individual suspected of being involved in the offence.

Investigations revealed that Namewee was the last person seen with the victim Hsien Yun Hsin, 31, before her body was found in a hotel room at Jalan Conlay here at about 1.40pm on Oct 22.