13-year-old Malaysian student arrested for putting cockroach poison into classmate's food

The student allegedly mixed the poison into a container of noodles and gave it to his classmate. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

KUCHING (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Sarawak police have arrested a Form One student for allegedly poisoning his classmate by lacing his food with cockroach poison.

Sarawak Criminal Investigation Department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) Datuk Dev Kumar said that the schoolboy was arrested at his house in Sri Aman at 2.30am on Friday.

The alleged poisoning happened at a school in Sri Aman on Thursday (July 20) afternoon, he said.

"We have arrested the 13-year-old schoolboy and also seized a box of roach poison," he said.

SAC Dev added that police are still investigating the motive and have classified the case under Section 328 of the Penal Code for causing hurt by poisoning.

He said that the victim, also aged 13, was rushed to the Sri Aman Hospital by school staff members after he began vomiting a few minutes after eating some food allegedly given to him by his classmate.

SAC Dev said the father of the victim lodged a police report at the Sri Aman police station after a teacher told him about the alleged poisoning.

"An initial probe shows that the suspect brought a container of noodles and roach poison to school. The suspect allegedly mixed the poison into the noodles and gave it to the victim. The victim began vomiting a few minutes later and a teacher was alerted before he was rushed to the hospital," he said, adding that the victim was still being treated.

SAC Dev said the suspect panicked and ran away from school after the incident but police located his house address and made the arrest.

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