Skeletal remains of six individuals, believed to have been murdered, were discovered in a house destroyed by fire at an oil palm plantation in Johor.
Speaking at a press conference at the Johor Police Contingent Headquarters yesterday (3 February), Johor Police Chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad revealed that the remains, four of whom were children, were found on 9 January and showed signs of burning.
Ab rahaman arsad
Skeletal remains of six individuals, four of whom were children, were discovered in a house destroyed by fire in Johor
Ab Rahaman said the discovery was made by a 48-year-old local man who had been searching for his family after losing contact with them three months ago. The man claimed his wife and children were living at the location following the couple’s separation.
The Johor Police Chief stated:
“The Iskandar Puteri District Police Headquarters received a report from the man at 1:28 PM on 9 January, who was searching for his wife and children, regarding the discovery of human remains inside the burnt house.
“Post-mortem examinations confirmed the presence of at least one adult victim and one or more child victims.”
He added that initial investigations found the six victims to be a 35-year-old mother, her three daughters aged five, nine and 17, her two-year-old son, and an adult man believed to be the woman’s 29-year-old companion.
The victims were found at a house that was destroyed by fire at an oil palm plantation in kangkar pulai
Four suspects have been arrested to assist with the investigation
Ab Rahaman said the remains were found intact, with investigations estimating the deaths occurred about three months ago.
Acting on information received, police arrested four local suspects, three men and a woman aged between 19 and 35, in the Iskandar Puteri area at 4 PM on 21 January to assist with investigations.
Checks showed that all the suspects had prior criminal records, while initial urine tests on three of them tested positive for methamphetamine. The suspects were friends of the deceased adult man and woman and were previously involved in drug abuse.
He added that the woman’s children were not attending school, and that the location, about two kilometres from the main road, was next to a temple and far from other residential areas.
The investigation papers have been sent to the Attorney General’s Chambers, which decided to charge two male suspects under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder. The charges will be read at the Johor Bahru Magistrate’s Court today.
“If convicted, they could face the death penalty or a prison term of 30 to 40 years, along with at least 12 strokes of the cane. The remaining two suspects were released on bond,” he added.
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