Grief-stricken Sofia, with the infant in her arms, at the scene.
KUCHING: Three persons, including an aged couple, are believed to have been murdered before their bodies were burned in a fire in Kampung Tumu, Batu 10 Jalan Matang here yesterday.
The three, identified as Mohd Daud Abdullah, 64, his wife Noraini Daud, 62 and Mohd Joe, 23, were occupants of a wooden house that was completely destroyed in the afternoon fire.
The authorities were notified of the incident at 3.43pm when the fire was believed to have already gone out of control, said a statement by the Fire and Rescue Department.
A 36-year-old man who was also injured during the incident was sent to Sarawak General Hospital for treatment.
Met by reporters at the scene, Mohd Joe’s wife Sofia Asan, 17, said she was in a room with her one-year-old daughter and three-year-old brother when she heard noises outside.
She said that as she opened the door to find out what was going on, she saw her husband lying lifeless on the ground with cuts in the neck and waist.
She related that she was so shocked that she shut the door.
Somehow, her 16-year-old brother who managed to escape quickly called for help from their neighbours.
Some neighbours rushed to the scene and successfully drew the attention of a man suspected to have caused the fire away and slaying from the house.
The suspect being held by the police.
As soon as the suspect got distracted, Sofia said she carried her baby in her arms and led her young brother to run for safety as fast as she could through the back door.
According to her, the suspect was seen carrying a sharp object near their house the day before the fire.
She was not certain whether Daud and Noraini (her grandparents) succumbed to injuries before the house was set on fire or died during the blaze.
Sofia said she had no clue about where the suspect came from.
She believed that the suspect could have lived in the jungle in the area.
She added that her grandmother was ill while her grandfather was blind.
In a statement, state CID chief SAC Datuk Dev Kumar said a suspect was arrested not far from the scene of the crime at about 7.30pm yesterday.
“Initially the suspect who was holding a machete (parang) refused to surrender but eventually gave in after persuasion by the police,” he added.
Dev Kumar said investigations are ongoing, adding that the suspect is an Indonesian in his 30s.