Man runs amok and kills schoolgirl

Thursday January 3, 2008


IPOH: A mentally unstable man slashed a 13-year-old schoolgirl to death after running amok in a provision shop at Teluk Intan, about 100km from here.

The 47-year-old padi farmer entered the shop brandishing a parang at 6.40pm on Tuesday and attacked suddenly.

Hilir Perak OCPD Asst Comm Goh Kok Liang said Lim Wan Qing and her older sister were manning the shop for their father, who had gone home for dinner.

“The man first tried to slash Wan Qing’s older sister who was standing at the counter but he missed. Then, he moved to the aisles where Wan Qing was standing and slashed her throat,” he said, adding that there were two customers at the time.

Upon being alerted, the police arrived at the scene about 10 minutes later and managed to calm the man before arresting him.

Wan Qing, a straight-A student of SRK (C) Chui Chak, was rushed to Teluk Intan Hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

ACP Goh said initial investigations revealed that the man was once a mental patient at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta, Tanjung Rambutan.

“He was warded for several days in 1985 but was released and has been on medication ever since,” he said.

ACP Goh added that the man lived near the shop with his brother and his sister-in-law, who spotted him leaving the house before the incident.

The man has been remanded until next Tuesday to assist in investigations.

The police have classified the case as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

In a separate incident, an Indonesian odd-job worker in his 30s was slashed by three men, also believed to be Indonesians, while he was in a sundry shop at Bertam Valley, Cameron Highlands, about 90km from here.

Cameron Highlands OCPD Deputy Supt Yahaya Othman said the three men entered the shop at 9.30pm on Tuesday, slashed the man’s stomach with a sharp object and ran off.

DSP Yahaya added that the man, known only as Haris, died three hours later at Cameron Highlands Hospital.

“Several hours later, we managed to pick up six suspects, all in their 30s, to assist in investigations,” he said, adding that no murder weapon was found and the motive was yet to be established.

Those with information can call the Cameron Highlands district police at 05-491 2222.