Datuk Mazlan Mansor
KUCHING: State Police Commissioner Datuk Mazlan Mansor said the man arrested for causing the death of three family members in a fire at Kampung Tumu, Mile 10 Jalan Matang, will undergo psychiatric test to determine his mental status.
He said the police would investigate the suspect’s medical records thoroughly before deciding if the man was fit for trial or otherwise.
He said the police could not reveal anything more as the case was still being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
“Looking at it from a logical perspective, a sane man would not enter a house to commit murder and later burn the bodies of the victims. We have to look at the possibility of the suspect’s mental state,” he told a press conference at the sidelines of the launching of ‘Op Selamat 10/2017’ at the Kuching Waterfront yesterday.
Mazlan also praised the police for their quick action in arresting the suspect on the same day of the incident – about 7.30pm Sunday.
He also advised members of the public to report any individuals suspected to suffer from mental illness so that the police could arrest them under the Mental Health Act.
On another matter, Mazlan said the police were now at the final stage of their investigation into cases pertaining to people insulting the former chief minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem in social media, before handing the investigation papers to the prosecutors.
He said 41 police reports had been made on the matter and made six arrests.