Sarifuddin (right) instructs his men at the crime scene.
SAC Dev Kumar M M Sree Shunmugam
KUCHING: One man was arrested while three others detained in connection with the death of a youth from Miri, who is believed to have been beaten to death in Kota Samarahan early yesterday.
The deceased, identified as 21-year-old Wee Ping Chang, passed away at a private hospital around 1am, shortly after he was sent there by a man who claimed to doctors he found the victim lying on a road in Tabuan Jaya with head injuries.
A police report was then lodged over the death, prompting CID personnel from state and district headquarters to commence their investigation, which ended with the swift arrest of the main suspect less than 24 hours later.
State CID chief SAC Dev Kumar M M Sree Shunmugam, who confirmed the case, said initial investigation revealed Wee was assaulted over an unpaid debt at his workplace located at a row of shophouses in Taman Riveria.
“The motive of the assault was the victim owed the suspect some money. We are still looking for several persons of interest who were at the scene at the time.
“The main suspect, a 41-year-old local, was arrested this (yesterday) afternoon in Kota Samarahan by a team from the state D9 CID led by DSP Sarifuddin Mustaffa,” he said, adding that police considered the case solved.
Additionally, Dev revealed police also detained three persons, including Wee’s girlfriend, over their conflicting statements to police when questioned.
He said the 37-year-old man who initially brought Wee to the private hospital was detained as he had lied to police about finding the victim on a road in Tabuan Jaya.
“The second person held was a 40-year-old woman, who was the person looking after the shop where the assault took place, while the third was the victim’s 25-year-old girlfriend.
“Both women gave conflicting statements that made us suspect that they were hiding something,” he added.
Police are currently investigating the relationship between the main suspect and the victim, but did not discount the possibility the former could have been the latter’s previous employer.
Wee’s body has since been sent to the Sarawak General Hospital mortuary where a post-mortem has been scheduled to determine the exact cause of death.
The case has been classified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
Wee’s body arrives at the Sarawak General Hospital.
Forensics police personnel collect evidence from inside the shop.