Penang police arrested two more suspects early this morning in Bukit Mertajam in connection with the numerous murders reported in the state recently and found a 'slaughterhouse', believed to have been used to butcher the victims.
State police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi said the latest arrest of two men aged between 30 and 40 brought the total number of people detained to 17 people, all from Myanmar.
He said police also raided two rented houses in Kampung Pisang in Machang Bubuk, Bukit Mertajam under Ops Kelar, an operation set up about two weeks ago to investigate the murders.
"One of the houses was used as a slaughterhouse. They butchered the bodies before discarding them at different locations.
"The suspects stayed in the other rented unit several doors away," he told reporters at the scene today.
Rahim said police also seized three 'parang' (machetes) found in the house that were used to cut up the bodies, as well as a car and a motorcycle.
He said with the arrests, eight out of 18 murder cases involving foreigners in Penang have been solved.
The cases included the discovery of a severed head in a bag in Taman Impian Ria in Bukit Mertajam on November 24, and a pair of arms and a head found near the Machang Bubuk police station last Monday.
"Throwing body parts near the police station is an attempt to challenge our credibility.
"The people don't have to worry. We will make sure there will be no harm towards the local community. We also warn these foreigners against taking the law into their own hands," Rahim said.
Rahim said the motive behind the killings was related to debts and revenge.
He said based on initial investigation, the suspects, who were mostly labourers and contract workers at construction sites, knew one another back in Myanmar.
"We believe with the arrests so far, we will be able to solve all murder cases involving foreigners soon," he added.
- TMI
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