A verbal spat allegedly led to a violent and lethal calamity between two men in Kedah on Saturday (February 4th, 2023). As reported by local newspaper Harian Metro, the altercation took place at a restaurant located along Jalan Stadium in the state’s capital of Alor Setar.
Fight between restaurant owner & assistant cook sparked by washed utensils
Kota Setar district chief Asst Commissioner Ahmad Shukri Mat Akhir said that the 55-year-old suspect, who worked as an assistant cook, was employed at the premises along with his wife and daughter. The argument initially only involved the victim’s son and the suspect’s wife, after the former had splashed dirty water onto freshly washed utensils.
They were later joined by the owner of the restaurant who also yelled at the suspect’s wife over the matter, which caused another quarrel between the suspect and the victim.
It was alleged that during the heat of the moment, the victim had uttered a litany of derogatory insults at the suspect and called him ‘babi‘ [pig]. This inevitably caused the suspect to lose his temper, prompting him to grab a wooden flagpole to beat-up the victim with in an angry frenzy. He even punched him over the face with his bare hands.
Victim died at the scene after being violently assaulted
Collapsing to the ground after the assault, the 68-year-old victim was later declared dead by medical officers who attended to him at the scene. At the time of his death, the deceased was found to have a history of heart disease, high blood pressure and back pains.
“We are still waiting for the results of the post-mortem report to identify the cause of the victim’s death. So far, five witnesses have been called to record their testimonials to assist in investigations,” said Shukri.
The suspect has since been detained by the local authorities and will be remanded for seven days. He did not posess any prior criminal record, and urine tests indicate that he had tested negative for drug use. It is understood that the suspect had been working at the restaurant since December of 2022.
The case will now be investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, which upon conviction can be punishable by death.
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