A 21-year-old man faced nine charges at the Segamat Magistrate’s Court after his actions caused the death of a 72-year-old woman on July 25.
According to BERNAMA, police received an emergency call about a fire in Kampung Bukit Siput that broke out around 4:30 AM, destroying five houses and killing the victim, who was living alone at the time.
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He and his girlfriend were hired by a loan shark
Johor Police Chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said the man and his 19-year-old girlfriend carried out the act after being hired by a loan shark.
He said police and fire department investigations found signs of foul play in the fire. Furthermore, a member of the victim’s family was believed to have taken a loan from the loan shark.
According to China Press, the male suspect faced nine charges in court, including one under Section 304A of the Penal Code for manslaughter and eight under Section 436 of the Penal Code for arson.
His girlfriend has been released on police bail and will testify as a prosecution witness.
They were hired to burn borrowers’ homes for unpaid loans
Ab Rahaman said police set up a special task force to investigate the case and caught the couple in Subang Jaya, Selangor, a week after the incident.
During questioning, they admitted to being hired by a loan shark syndicate in Singapore to intimidate borrowers by setting fire to their homes when they failed to repay.
He also said the couple had been actively carrying out similar acts in Johor and Selangor since July, earning RM1,000 for each job.
Stay tuned for more updates!
