An armed fight outside a Chinese vernacular school in Air Itam, Penang, on Aug 30 was believed to have stemmed from a misunderstanding over a debt and involved a group known as Geng 04, police said.
Penang Police Chief Datuk Dennis Lim said investigations found that the debt was not connected to illegal moneylending activities.
Instead, the group was believed to have been assisting another party in recovering an outstanding debt before a disagreement escalated into a physical confrontation.
“This case was caused by a misunderstanding involving a debt. It was not an ah long debt. They were helping to collect the debt, but the discussion later turned into a fight,” he said when met at the Penang Police Contingent Headquarters on Tuesday.
Following the incident, police arrested 13 local men, including three teenagers, to assist investigations into the armed altercation outside the school.
The suspects, aged between 16 and 33, were detained during five raids carried out at several locations across Penang.
The arrests were conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department’s Vice, Gambling and Secret Societies Division (D7), together with the Timur Laut District Police Headquarters Criminal Investigation Division and assistance from Central Police Station.
Dennis also clarified that the two men who were seriously injured after being slashed were not members of the group involved in the dispute.
Instead, police believe the pair were attacked after being mistaken for members of the group.
The two victims were reportedly on their way home after attending a religious ceremony when they were attacked. They were believed to have been wearing blue clothing that was similar to the attire associated with the group.
“The suspects believed they were members of the group and attacked and slashed both of them,” Dennis said.
Both victims suffered serious injuries but were reported to be in stable condition.
Police are investigating the case under Section 326 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing grievous hurt using a weapon, as well as Section 148 for rioting while armed with a weapon.
