JOHOR BARU - A 22-year-old man has been detained in relation to the brutal murder at a petrol station in Johor Baru on Sunday (Dec 17), bringing the number of suspects arrested to 14.

He was picked up on Thursday afternoon in Johor Baru, according to Malaysian media.

Malaysia's crime investigation department chief Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd revealed this in a press conference in Johor Baru on Friday (Dec 22).

He said four women and 10 men aged between 16 and 26 years old have been detained in Johor Baru, Penang and Singapore in relation to the case. Of these, seven were picked up in Singapore and handed over to the Malaysian police on Thursday.

"We expect to make more arrests and Bukit Aman (police headquarters) will assist the Johor police in the investigation," Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad said.

He also said a drug debt has been identified as the main motive behind the killing of the 44-year-old man at the petrol station. He said secret societies in the city were involved in drug distribution activities, reported The Star.

He added that Johor Baru was still safe not only for locals but also for Singaporean and Indonesian tourists visiting the city.

He said the public should have confidence in the police's ability to solve the case, but added that the police would need time to do it.

He also advised netizens against spreading fake news on social media as their actions could interfere with the ongoing investigation.

On Sunday evening, the victim stopped at the petrol station to pump his car tyres when he was assaulted by four men who alighted from a white BMW 5-series. He was dragged to the assailants' car but he fought back.

An 82-second video clip of the incident recorded by a bystander shows that during the scuffle, the victim was stabbed and left lying on the ground. Firecrackers were then thrown from the car towards where the victim lay.

The assailants' car circled the petrol station and ran over the man, before reversing and running over him again.