Johor police nab 5 suspects, including 4 S’poreans, over fatal stabbing

JOHOR BAHRU - Police have arrested five suspects believed to be involved in the death of a 32-year-old man who was stabbed in the neck last week.

Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said the first suspect was arrested at around 12.15am on March 18 while attempting to flee to Singapore.

“The man, who is a foreigner, was trying to pass through immigration to enter Singapore when he was arrested.

“His arrest led to the arrest of the four other suspects, who had by then fled to Singapore.

“With the help of the Singapore police, we were able to arrest the four suspects, who are also all foreigners, at about 6pm on March 19,” he said in a statement here.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said three Singaporean men, aged between 23 and 29, and a 27-year-old Singaporean woman, were arrested.

They are believed to be involved in a case of murder in Johor Bahru that had occurred on March 14, they added.

SPF said they had conducted operations islandwide, including at a residential unit in Teban Gardens Road, on March 19 after receiving a request for assistance from the Malaysian police.

“Four persons were arrested from the operations in Singapore, and they have been handed over to the Malaysian police on March 19 to assist with their investigations,” they added.

Commissioner Ab Rahaman said all five suspects, who tested negative for drugs and have no criminal records, are being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

He added that the first suspect has been remanded for seven days starting March 18, while the other four are being remanded for seven days starting March 20.

He said the victim, also a foreigner, died at Hospital Sultan Ismail after succumbing to his injuries following an attack on March 14, where several people assaulted him with sharp objects and stabbed him in the neck. THE STAR/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK