LAHAD DATU - A three-year-old boy was brutally murdered when they found his head stuck in a tree with cuts on his arms and legs, tied with a rope.
The victim was found in the bushes at Kampung Panji, here, by his mother at 3pm, yesterday.
Lahad Datu deputy police chief Superintendent Azmir Abdul Razak said he received a distress call through the 999 emergency hotline.
"The mother in her 20s said he did not return after playing outside and he was last seen at noon on Saturday.
"The mother searched around the village and he was found at 3pm with injuries on his head, arms and legs while his right arm was tied using a rope,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
He said the mother asked for help from the public to contact authorities.
"Investigations found the victim was tied and his head was stuck between two trees.
The victim’s head was injured by a sharp object and there were cuts along bot arms and legs,” he said.
Azmir said acting on the public’s information a foreign man in his 30s has been arrested.
"The man was the last individual seen together with the victim and the suspect was tested positive for drugs.
"The parents of the victim in their 20s and 30s were also arrested," he said.
The case is investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code bringing a death by hanging sentence if found guilty.
Azmir advised the public in the district not to panic and not to share unverified information.