A 19-year-old foreign man has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a sex worker 14 times in a shocking murder case at a budget hotel in Johor Bahru.
Johor Deputy Police Chief, Senior Assistant Commissioner Hoo Chuan Huat, said the victim, a 37-year-old foreign woman, was killed in her hotel room in Taman Sentosa yesterday following a dispute over payment. The attack left her with 14 stab wounds, including nine to her chest, and injuries to her neck, hands, and arms.
“The Johor Police Headquarters’ Criminal Investigation Division, together with the Southern Johor district CID, launched an investigation immediately and arrested a 19-year-old foreign male suspect at an apartment in Johor Bahru at around 8pm last night,” Hoe stated in a press release.
Authorities also seized multiple items believed to be linked to the case, including a brown T-shirt, blue jeans, a black cap, black rubber shoes, a CCTV hard drive, and two mobile phones.
Hoo noted that the suspect has no prior criminal record, and preliminary urine screening indicated no involvement with drugs. The suspect has been remanded for seven days until March 18 at the Johor Bahru Magistrate’s Court to facilitate further investigation.
The police are investigating the case under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, which carries a potential sentence of 30 to 40 years’ imprisonment and a minimum of 12 lashes if convicted.
He urged the public not to speculate or post comments that could interfere with the investigation and encouraged anyone with relevant information to contact nearby police stations or call the Johor Police Hotline at 019-2792095 or the Johor Police Headquarters Operations Room at 07-2212999.
