Suspect stabbed aunt as she was against his relationship with her daughter, say cops

GEORGE TOWN: A man arrested for fatally stabbing a woman with a machete in the Raja Uda area of Butterworth on Tuesday (Dec 19) is believed to have acted out of anger.

Penang deputy police chief Datuk Mohamed Usuf Jan Mohamad said the 29-year-old man, who is currently receiving treatment at the Penang Hospital (HPP), has been remanded for seven days.

“Based on preliminary police investigations, the suspect acted out of anger and we are conducting further investigations into the incident,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday (Dec 20).

Meanwhile, Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) district police chief ACP Mohd Asri Shafie said the suspect, a factory operator, would be remanded for seven days until Dec 26 and the case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

He said that according to initial investigations, the victim was a 42-year-old clothing merchant and the aunt of the suspect.

“Police will record statements from the suspect and several witnesses who witnessed the incident to complete the investigation,” Mohd Asri said when contacted by BK on Wednesday.

It is understood that the suspect acted out of anger towards his aunt, who allegedly interfered in his romantic relationship with the woman’s daughter.

In another case, Mohamed Usuf said police had identified several suspects in the case of a food seller who was stabbed 27 times on the second floor of a car park at an apartment on Jalan Perak here on Dec 5.

He said that three individuals, including a woman, all close friends of the victim, were detained and later released on police bail as investigations indicated they were not involved in the incident.

He declined to comment further as the investigation was still in progress.

In the incident, a man in his 60s died after being stabbed 27 times with a knife by a male suspect. – BK