JOHOR BAHRU – A mother has been arrested after allegedly murdering her baby son by slitting his throat at their home in Pasir Gudang, a city in the Malaysian state of Johor.

Johor police chief M. Kumar said a report was filed about the murder of the one-year-old at around 1.30pm on March 16.

“We arrested a 32-year-old suspect, who is the victim’s mother, for further investigation. Police have also seized a knife at the scene allegedly used by the suspect to slit the victim’s throat,” said Commissioner Kumar on March 17.

“Early investigations found that the suspect had sent a picture of the deceased covered in blood at his neck area to her husband via WhatsApp.”

The commissioner also said that in an unrelated case, a 61-year-old man was found dead in Taman Rinting near Masai in Johor with several slash wounds to his body at around 10.50am on March 16.

“Five men... 35 to 48 years old, have been arrested at various locations around here to help with the investigation.

“Police also seized several belongings of the victim and collected sample swabs at the scene to assist with the investigation,” he said, adding that the victim and the suspects have prior criminal records.

The commissioner said that it took the police less than 24 hours to arrest the suspects, and both cases have been classified under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

He added that the police would make an appeal to remand the suspects. The two bodies have been sent to Sultan Ismail Hospital for a post-mortem.

“The motive and cause of death for the two cases are still being investigated. The public should refrain from making any speculations that could affect police investigations,” he said.

The commissioner urged those with information on the cases to step forward by calling the Johor police hotline. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK