Melbourne, Jan 28 (IANS): The victim of a fatal shooting in Melbourne's northern suburbs on Tuesday morning has been identified as an Australian underworld figure known as "The Punisher."

'The Punisher,' named Suleiman 'Sam' Abdulrahim, 32, was shot by multiple attackers in the underground car park of a hotel in Preston, 9 km north of central Melbourne, at about 10:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

Victoria Police Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas told reporters on Tuesday afternoon that 'The Punisher' Abdulrahim died at the scene after a woman believed to be his girlfriend and police and ambulance crews attempted first aid.

"Family and friends are very, very distraught, and understandably so, they've lost a loved one," Thomas said.

The inspector also said that the police believe the perpetrators of the targeted attack fled the scene in a white vehicle. Police are investigating whether a burnt-out Porsche found later in a nearby suburb is linked to the killing, reports Xinhua news agency.

Abdulrahim, who previously served three years in prison over a fatal car crash, had previously survived several attempts on his life.

In 2022, he was shot eight times in the chest and stomach at a cemetery in Melbourne's north. In May 2024, he escaped injury when a number of shots were fired at him as he was leaving his house.

Nine Entertainment newspapers reported on Tuesday that Abdulrahim recently went into hiding to escape a one million Australian dollar (625,532 US dollars) bounty on his life.

Thomas said on Tuesday that police had previously spoken to him about his safety and that investigators would try to establish how the shooters discovered his location.