A 22-year-old man’s attempt to seek revenge by setting a fire over a debt issue backfired when he was arrested by police less than 24 hours after causing a fire that destroyed 3 houses in Johor on April 13.
Iskandar Puteri District Police Chief ACP M Kumarasan said they received information about the fire around 6:55AM, involving 3 single-storey terrace houses in Taman Mutiara Rini, as reported by Sinar Harian.
Suspect had a debt dispute
A team from the Iskandar Puteri Criminal Investigation Department managed to track down and arrest the suspect around 1PM that same day.
Investigations showed that the incident stemmed from a debt dispute between the suspect and one of the residents.
“The suspect is believed to have set fire to one of the houses to demand repayment, but the flames quickly spread to 2 neighbouring houses,” he said.
He added that the suspect had 2 prior criminal records, but his urine test came back negative for drugs.
He has been remanded for 6 days
Police also seized a shirt, pants, and a lighter believed to have been used during the incident.
The suspect is now remanded for 6 days from April 14 to 19 to assist with investigations under Section 436 of the Penal Code for mischief by fire or explosive with intent to destroy a house.
If found guilty, he could face up to 20 years in jail and a fine.
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