MUKAH: Police have detained a man who is believed to have started a fire out of anger at his own family house at Kampung Sungai Alo resettlement scheme here on Wednesday (March 1).
Mukah police chief DSP Muhamad Rizal Alias said that the jobless suspect in his 30s is believed to be in a rage because he suspected his family members reported his drug addiction activities to the police.
“A team of police was deployed to the scene after receiving a distressed call at 8 pm. Upon arrival, the unemployed suspect has been caught by his family members and members of the public before being handed over to the police at the scene,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Muhamad Rizal also noted that the suspect is believed to be under the influence of drugs during the incident.
The house was occupied by 12 residents which include the victim with his wife and two children; a younger sister with her husband and three children; two younger brothers (one of them is the suspect) and a girl.
“The house was burnt 100 per cent and the fire was successfully extinguished by Mukah firefighters and no casualties were reported in the fire,” he said.
An application to remand the suspect under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code was made yesterday to enable police to continue further investigation as well as to conduct a urine test on the suspect.
A background check on the suspect conducted found that he has a past criminal record under Section 324 of the Penal Code.
