BUKIT MERTAJAM: Police have arrested five men in connection with the alleged murder of a 63-year-old man during a dispute at a shelter within a housing area in Cheruk Tokun here yesterday.
Seberang Perai Tengah police chief ACP Helmi Aris said authorities were alerted at 3.22 pm after a witness reported a fight at the shelter, which led to the victim’s death.
“Initial investigations revealed that the victim, along with five others, including the primary suspect, a 70-year-old man, were sitting together at the shelter when the altercation began,” he in a statement last night.
Helmi explained that the suspect approached the victim from behind, struck him with a wooden stick, causing him to fall to the ground, before fatally stabbing him with a knife. The suspect fled the scene immediately after the attack.
Medical personnel arrived shortly afterward and confirmed the victim’s death. His body was subsequently taken to Bukit Mertajam Hospital for a post-mortem examination, he added.
Helmi said preliminary investigations suggest that the dispute was the result of an ongoing misunderstanding between the victim and the suspect, which had reportedly been brewing for three days prior to the fatal confrontation.
All five suspects are now in police custody, with the case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, he said.
