KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — A mother of six is fighting for her life after her husband allegedly slashed her 14 times with a parang in an attack police believe was fuelled by jealousy over her speaking to a male neighbour in Sabah’s Kota Marudu district.
The 40-year-old suffered 14 slash wounds across her body, including to her neck, during the attack at the couple’s home in Kampung Mangkupa at about 9.30am yesterday. She remains in critical but stable condition.
Police have launched a manhunt for her 50-year-old husband, an Indonesian national, who fled after the attack.
Kota Marudu police chief Superintendent Somiun Lomidin said preliminary investigations indicated the suspect believed his wife was having an affair with a male neighbour, allegations she had repeatedly denied.
According to police, the suspect became upset after seeing the victim chatting with the neighbour from the compound of their home.
He allegedly ordered her to stop speaking to the man, but an argument broke out after she denied doing so.
“The suspect, believed to be angered, took a parang from the kitchen before attacking the victim,” Somiun said in a statement today.
The victim’s niece later found her lying in a pool of blood, while a neighbour alerted the authorities.
Somiun said the woman, who was initially treated at Hospital Kota Marudu, told investigators in the emergency ward that the attack stemmed from her husband’s alleged jealousy.
The victim is expected to be transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu for further treatment.
Police are investigating the case under Section 326 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means, while efforts to trace the suspect are ongoing.
