5 days ago
Arsonist for Singapore loan shark nabbed after fatal Johor blaze
JOHOR BARU: A Singapore-based loan shark's hired arsonist has been arrested for a house fire that killed a 72-year-old woman in Segamat last month.
Johor police chief Commissioner Ab Rahaman Arsad said the 21-year-old suspect and his 19-year-old girlfriend were detained in Subang Jaya, Selangor, about a week after the incident on July 25.
Investigations showed the man was paid RM1,000 to hurl a Molotov cocktail at the intended victim's home in a debt-related intimidation attempt.
The blaze destroyed five houses and caused an estimated RM1.2 million in losses.
The intended victim was not home, but the fire spread to a neighbouring house, trapping and killing the elderly woman.
"We seized a car, mobile phones, clothing, face masks, gloves, a lighter, pieces of cloth, and a petrol container believed to have been used in the crime," Ab Rahaman said at a press conference at the Johor police contingent headquarters today.
The woman was released on bail as a prosecution witness.
Her boyfriend will face 13 charges, including murder without intent under Section 304B of the Penal Code, arson under Section 436, and four counts of criminal intimidation under Section 507.
Nine charges will be filed in the Segamat Magistrate's Court tomorrow, with the remainder in Johor Bahru.
Police believe the suspect had been active in Johor and Selangor since July, targeting debtors on behalf of the syndicate, which is based in Singapore but operates locally.
