GEORGE TOWN: The police have identified the “hideout” of a man suspected of abusing his daughter by splashing hot water over the eight-year-old’s body in an incident at Air Itam here last Thursday.
Northeast District Police chief ACP Che Zaimani Che Awang said based on police investigations, the 41-year-old man who worked as a prepaid card sales agent had left Penang and was hiding in a location not far from the state.
“I urge him to surrender himself to assist with investigations, however, if he refuses to do so, the police will detain him as we have identified the location where the man, his wife and their youngest son have been hiding after following the incident,“ he told Bernama here today.
He said the condition of the child who suffered third-degree burns to her arms, ribs and chest was improving, but she was still warded at the Penang Hospital (HPP).
He said based on the statements of the victim and two other siblings left behind with their grandmother, the man (father) was hot-tempered, and often beat the four siblings, including the youngest son.
In the 1am incident, the 41-year-old suspect was said to have returned home from work hungry, and found that the food cooked by his 38-year-old wife had been finished by the children.
Angered by the situation, he woke up his children who were sleeping in the living room and scolded and hit them. The suspect also allegedly splashed a bowl of hot water dispensed from a water purifier machine in the living room on the victim.
In another development, Che Zaimani said the police had detained nine men aged 20 to 40 involved in a brawl at an entertainment centre in Jalan Penang, here, early today.
He said all the men who were believed to be celebrating the new year’s eve at the entertainment centre were detained by personnel from the Anti-Vice, Gambling and Secret Societies Division (D7) of the Northeast District Police Headquarters at 3.45am at the scene of the crime.
“The police received reports from the public saying there was a quarrel between the two groups at the food and entertainment centre before a team was despatched to the site and managed to detain them. The cause of the fight is still being investigated,“ he said. — Bernama
