ALOR SETAR, Feb 10 — A seven-year-old girl faced a nightmare when she was taken hostage by her own uncle for over five hours at a house in Taman Serai Wangi, Padang Serai, near Kulim yesterday.
Kedah Criminal Investigation Department chief SAC Mior Faridalthrash Wahid said in the incident at about 6pm, the 34-year-old suspect armed with a knife was said to have run amok and locked himself in a bathroom with his niece after his brother-in-law refused to give him money to purchase drugs.
“The suspect, who was under the influence of drugs, and had past family issues, came to the house and demanded a certain amount of money believed to be for purchasing drugs, but his brother-in-law refused to oblige, causing the suspect to go berserk.
“The suspect then brandished a knife on the neck of his niece and took her with him into the bathroom, and fearing for his child’s safety, the brother-in-law lodged a police report,” he said when contacted by Bernama here today.
He said the police then arrived at the scene and tried to persuade the suspect to surrender and release the child, but the suspect resisted, forcing the police to break open the door and save the victim.
“During the incident, there was a bit of a scuffle with the suspect, causing one of the police officers to be injured with the knife, while the victim who was in a weak condition, was rescued before being taken to the Kulim Hospital,” he said, adding that inspections found the victim suffered injuries to her neck and back, believed to be inflicted using a knife.
He said the suspect, who has several drug-related criminal records is currently under remand for 14 days and being investigated under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961 and Section 307 of the Penal Code. — Bernama
