PETALING JAYA, Dec 18 — The suspect who was detained by police for his alleged involvement in a fire that claimed four lives, including those of two children in Tanjung Sepat will be charged in court with murder tomorrow.
Selangor Criminal Investigations Department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Fadzil Ahmat said the 38-year-old suspect will be taken to the Magistrates’ Court, in Telok Datok, Banting.
Fadzil said investigation papers have been referred to the state prosecution unit and police have obtained instructions to charge the suspect under Section 324 and 302 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt with the use of dangerous weapons and murder respectively.
Those convicted under Section 324 can be punished with a jail term up to 10 years, a fine, whipping or any two such punishments.
The mandatory punishment for murder is death by hanging.
Fadzil said the suspect is facing a total of five charges.
The suspect’s remand order expires this Thursday.
Kuala Langat police chief Superintendent Azizan Tukiman said the daughter to the late Chia and Lim, with whom the suspect is acquainted, has been cleared entirely of involvement.
Azizan said the daughter, who is also deaf and mute, had no knowledge of her boyfriend’s atrocities against her family members.
On Wednesday, Chia Tee Nang, 73, and Lim Mai Shak, 68, along with their two grandchildren Ryan Chia Zeng Xi, 9, and Chia Yuan Bin, three, were killed in a pre-dawn fire which also razed their wooden home to the ground.
Police initially classified the case as arson but reclassified it to murder following the discovery of slash wounds on the bodies of three of the dead people.
A manhunt was subsequently launched and the suspect, a furniture worker who was also deaf and mute, was nabbed in Taman Pusat Kepong last Friday.
Police have confirmed that financial issues experienced by the suspect was established as the main motive and trigger behind the incident.
