Police are investigating whether online communities or private groups may have influenced a 15-year-old girl to allegedly stab a fellow student at a secondary school in Banting earlier this month.
Selangor Police Chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said investigators are looking into the possibility that the suspect had been influenced through discussions in online groups before the incident on July 6.
As part of the investigation, police recently detained a 14-year-old female student to assist in the case.
However, Shazeli said the teenager was later released after investigators found she had no direct involvement in the stabbing.
“We are investigating whether there were any communities or groups that may have influenced the suspect’s actions,” he told reporters at the Selangor Police Contingent Headquarters on Tuesday.
He explained that the 14-year-old was not believed to be a facilitator but may have been among individuals communicating with the suspect through a WhatsApp group or other discussions where opinions and suggestions were exchanged.
Police did not disclose the girl’s school or location as she is a minor.
Shazeli also said an internal investigation has been launched after photographs of handwritten notes linked to the case were circulated on social media.
The notes form part of the case exhibits, and police are investigating how they were leaked online.
Meanwhile, Shazeli said the 15-year-old victim is recovering well and was discharged from hospital on July 13.
The victim sustained multiple stab wounds after she was allegedly attacked by the suspect at the school’s canteen at about 9.30am on July 6 before being rushed to Hospital Banting for treatment.
Police said the suspect, who had reportedly been absent from school for several months while undergoing medical treatment, was arrested and investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder.
On July 10, the Telok Datok Magistrate’s Court ordered the suspect to undergo a psychiatric evaluation at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Tanjung Rambutan, Perak.
