Johor cops arrest man shortly after drunken brawl led to a murder in city centre

JOHOR BARU, Dec 24 — Police managed to arrest a murder suspect just hours after a drunken brawl between two men led to the death of a senior citizen in the city centre here late last night.

It was understood that the altercation between the two men occurred around 9.30pm in the busy Bazaar Karat area fronting the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) office along Jalan Sungai Segget here.

Johor Baru South police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat said policemen were dispatched to the location shortly after being alerted about the brawl by the public at 9.40pm.

“Based on the information, police arrived at the location at around 10.24pm and found a man, who is in his 50’s, lying unconscious on the road believed to be from severe injuries.

“A paramedics team from the Sultanah Aminah Hospital arrived at the scene and confirmed the victim’s death,” he said in a statement today.

Following initial leads, Raub said police managed to arrest a 34-year-old male suspect with assistance from the public in connection with the murder.

He said checks on the suspect’s background revealed that he had five prior crime-related records and two narcotics cases against him.

“Initial investigations found that both the suspect and victim were intoxicated and having a heated conversation before the brawl started.

“The suspect was believed to have punched and kicked the victim to his face and head, causing serious injuries,” said Raub, adding that the suspect is in police custody pending a remand order.

Raub also thanked the public who assisted the police in apprehending the suspect, which enabled investigators to solve the case in less than 24 hours.

The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.