POLICE ARREST MAN FOR ALLEGEDLY KILLING BROTHER
Siblings believed to be fighting over property before murder
MOHAMED BASYIR
AND SITI NURSURAYA ALI BUKIT MERTAJAM news@nst.com.my
POLICE have yet to determine the cause of the brawl between two brothers at Kampung Sama Gagah here yesterday, which claimed the life of a 59year-old man.
In the 7.30am incident, a fight allegedly broke out between victim, Lim Poh Hau, and his 48year-old younger brother.
The deceased’s fifth brother, Lim Gim Hau, 57, said his two brothers had always been quarrelling with each other, which usually ended up in a fight.
“I always warned them not to fight but they never listened.
“Now see what happened to them, one dead and the other one in the lock-up,” he said yesterday.
The deceased’s niece, who declined to be named, said both of her uncles lived near her home.
“This is a dead-end road, and all five houses here belong to our relatives.
“My uncle (the deceased) lived alone in an old house in front of my house.
“He has no wife or children. I am not sure if he was ever married.”
The woman, in her 20s, said: “We usually wait for the eldest brother to decide on family matters.
“For now they haven’t told us anything yet, not even funeral plans.”
Other family members in the area said they had yet to claim the victim’s body from the hospital.
It is learnt that property was the cause of the dispute between both brothers.
Seberang Prai Tengah district police chief Assistant Commissioner Nik Ros Azhan Nik Abdul Hamid said upon receiving a distress call on the incident, they dispatched policemen to the scene.
“Police officers were despatched to the scene where they found the victim lying unconscious on the ground outside the house.
“An ambulance employee at the scene confirmed the victim’s death,” he said, adding that police arrested the younger brother.
Nik Ros Azhan said the fight started after Poh Hau ran into his brother with his motorcycle.
“The detainee admitted to hitting the deceased with a fire extinguisher repeatedly and spraying it on his face during the fight,” he said yesterday.
The deceased sustained injuries on his head and his knees while the 48-year-old sustained a minor scratch on his left thigh after he was run over by his brother’s motorcycle.
The victim’s body had been sent to Seberang Jaya Hospital for a post-mortem.
The detainee is under police custody and remanded from yesterday.
The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.