23-year-old held after man set on fire over RM50 debt

 

The 23-year-old man admitted to being at the scene of the crime with the main suspect who set fire to his friend.

ALOR GAJAH: A 23-year-old man has been help to assist in investigations into the case of an unemployed man who was doused with petrol and set on fire at a house in Kampung Lendu, here, on Tuesday, apparently over a RM50 debt.

Alor Gajah police chief Supt Arshad Abu said the man, a friend of the victim, was arrested in front of a house in Taman Dimensi Lendu here at around 1.25 am today.

“The man admitted to being at the scene with the main suspect and the victim during the incident. A urine test conducted on the suspect found him to be positive for methamphetamine,” he said in a statement today.

He said a background check revealed that the suspect had seven cases on his criminal records, six for drugs and one for robbery.

Arshad said the incident happened due to an RM50 debt owed by the victim to the 29-year-old main suspect.

The operation to track down the main suspect, who is also a friend of the victim, is ongoing and the case is being investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder.

Yesterday, the media reported that a 23-year-old man suffered second-degree burns after being set on fire by his friend who accused him of stealing a mobile phone.

In the 5pm incident on Tuesday, the victim was doused in petrol before a lighter was lit, causing the shirt he was wearing to catch fire. - FMT