MIRI, Jan 10 — The police have detained a furniture shop worker to facilitate investigations into the murder of a form one schoolgirl earlier yesterday.
The arrest followed the discovery of the 13-year-old’s body yesterday afternoon in the boot of a car at the Pelabuhan Miri junction.
Initial police investigations revealed the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Merbau pupil was strangled during an argument with the suspect.
Sarawak CID chief Datuk Dev Kumar said the 33-year-old suspect was also the boyfriend of the victim’s mother.
He said the schoolgirl was strangled about 11am at a rented house in Permyjaya, Miri where she had stayed with her sister, mother and the suspect.
“At the time of the murder, the mother had gone to work and the sister, to school. The victim was alone with the suspect.
“The suspect who is from Kuala Lumpur, works at a furniture shop in Piasau, Miri and was arrested late this afternoon by a police patrol car crew from the Miri police headquarters,” he added in a statement tonight.
Dev said the police crew were patrolling in Jalan Perlis, Kuala Baram at 5.55pm when they came across a Proton Iswara car which was parked in a lane near some bushes. The boot of the car was open.
“At that juncture, the suspect was spotted standing behind the car and when he saw the police car, he shut the boot, got into the vehicle and sped away.
“In the five kilometre chase that ensued, the suspect’s car stopped at the Pelabuhan Miri junction and the police ordered the man to alight from the vehicle and open the boot.
“When the boot was opened, we found the body of the schoolgirl and arrested the suspect,” added Dev.
The CID chief believed the schoolgirl had an argument with the suspect before she was strangled and her body placed in the car boot and driven to Kuala Baram for disposal. — Bernama
