Prime suspect in petrol station killing identified

> Cops believe murder weapon dumped along road to Desaru

JOHOR BARU: Police have identified the prime suspect involved in the stabbing and murder of a 44-year-old man at the Jalan Sri Pelangi petrol station in Taman Pelangi here last month.

Johor police chief Commissioner Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd said police have yet to locate the knife used by the suspect, who is in his 20s. It is believed to have been discarded along the road to Desaru in Kota Tinggi.

He said so far, 14 suspects have been detained, with 11 having been released while three are still on remand.

They were arrested in Penang, Singapore and here.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that one of the three suspects on remand is the prime suspect. We believe the knife had been disposed off somewhere along the Desaru to Kota Tinggi road,” Mohd Khalil told reporters at the handing over of duties between outgoing Johor police CID chief SAC Datuk Azman Ayob and his successor SAC Kamaluddin Kassim, the former Malacca police CID chief.

He said investigations also revealed the prime suspect and the two others were believed to have been actively involved in several snatch-theft cases in Kulai and Batu Pahat.

He added police will submit the investigation papers on the murder case to the deputy public prosecutor’s office soon.

In the Dec 17, 2017 incident, the victim, who has since been identified as a triad member, was dragged and stabbed by four suspects before he was run over with a white BMW twice.

The case is believed to be motivated by unpaid debts owed by the victim to his assailants.

A video of the gruesome murder went viral.

On a separate matter, Mohd Khalil said police had mounted a search for the thief who stole a mobile phone from a fatal accident victim near Danga City Mall here yesterday.

He added that stealing from the dead was an immoral act.

“Police will not close their eyes on this as a criminal act was committed when the victim was being helped by the public during the incident.”

The victim, a 16-year-old student, died after he was hit by a van when returning from school.

The theft has since caused an uproar on social media as netizens mocked the culprit who had pretended to offer help but instead fled with the phone.