PETALING JAYA: A man was brutally stabbed to death by his coworker in a fight over RM20 at a shared workers’ quarters in an oil palm plantation in Kampung Ulu Lumagar, Bongawan, Sabah last Thursday.
The incident, which occurred around 8pm, left the 37-year-old victim with severe injuries, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Papar district police chief, superintendent Kamaruddin Ambo Sakka, said authorities were alerted to the incident by the plantation owner.
“Initial investigations revealed that the argument started when the victim asked the suspect about the RM20 given by his wife to buy fish and bread the previous week.
“According to the victim’s wife, she had given the money to the suspect to help purchase the items, but he later claimed that the shop was closed and never returned the money.
“Before this incident, the victim’s wife had also lent RM30 to the suspect, which had not been repaid. The argument escalated when the suspect refused to acknowledge the debt or return the money,“ he told Sinar Harian on Saturday.
During the altercation, the suspect went inside his house, grabbed a small knife, and attacked the victim.
“The suspect repeatedly stabbed the victim, who, despite his injuries, tried to enter his own house to retrieve a weapon for self-defense.
“However, he collapsed on the ground in front of his house and succumbed to his injuries,“ he said.
Following the incident, a team from the Papar District Police Criminal Investigation Division, along with the serious crimes unit (D9) from the Sabah police headquarters and Bongawan police station, arrested the suspect at noon on Friday.
“A knife believed to have been used in the attack was also seized.
“The suspect, along with the weapon, has been taken to the Papar district police headquarters for further investigation under Section 302 of the Penal Code,“ he said.
He urged members of the public with any information about the incident to contact investigating officer Inspector Desmond Tanggapan at 019-488 3322.
