A man was killed after being stabbed during a fight believed to have been triggered by a dispute over a mobile phone in Kampung Sungai Udang on Wednesday night.
Melaka Tengah District Police Chief Christopher Patit said police received a report about the incident at around 8.30pm, involving a 25-year-old victim and a 44-year-old male suspect.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had gone to the victim’s house to retrieve his mobile phone, which he had reportedly handed over to the victim about a week earlier.
According to police, the meeting between the two men escalated into a heated argument before turning into a physical altercation.
“At the time of the incident, the victim’s elder brother, who was nearby, witnessed the two men struggling before the victim was stabbed,” Christopher said when met at the scene.
Earlier, images of the victim lying on the ground after the alleged stabbing went viral on social media, accompanied by a 2.51-second video showing members of the public detaining the suspect inside a Hyundai Atos.
Initial medical examinations found at least three stab wounds on the left side of the victim’s chest, believed to have been inflicted with a parang.
Following the incident, the suspect fled the scene and attempted to hide inside a vehicle belonging to a member of the public in a shoplot area located about 300 metres from the crime scene, before he was eventually apprehended.
Christopher added that preliminary checks revealed both the victim and the suspect have prior criminal and drug-related records.
Police are continuing investigations to determine the exact cause of the incident, with the case being probed under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
