SUNGAI BESAR - A pregnant woman met a tragic end as she was brutally stabbed in the stomach and burned in a palm oil plantation area at Jalan Sungai Limau in Sabak Bernam.
Sabak Bernam district police chief Superintendent Agus Salim Mohd Alias said the 20-year-old suspect was believed to have taken his girlfriend there by car at around 10pm.
The suspect, who is reported to be a college graduate, arrived at the scene of the incident and had an argument with the 21-year-old victim.
"The suspect, who had known the victim since last year, is believed to have become angry when his girlfriend refused to keep her pregnancy a secret. It is believed that the pregnancy was conceived out of wedlock," he said in a press conference at Sabak Bernam District Police Headquarters (IPD) Iltizam Hall, here, today.
Agus said prior to the incident, the couple had engaged in a fight during which the man had beaten the victim, leading to her tragic death.
"The man then stabbed the pregnant woman's stomach before setting her body on fire," he said.
Agus said the suspect subsequently went back home but returned to the scene the following day.
"The suspect felt uneasy so he had return at about 7am by his motorcycle and burned the victim's body once again using petrol," he said.
In an attempt to dispose of the body and eliminate any evidence, the suspect burned the victim, who worked at a restaurant, near Jalan Lama Kuala Selangor.
However, the public noticed his suspicious behavior and discovered the charred remains at the crime scene and alerted the police to the situation.
"Acting on the information received, the police arrested the suspect at his home in Sungai Besar at 1.45pm yesterday.
"Investigation found that the suspect had no past criminal record and was remanded for six days starting today (Wednesday) to asisst in the investigation," he said.
The case is currently being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code (Act 574) and if found guilty, could be sentenced to death by hanging.
The remains of the victim, which were approximately 60 percent burnt, were taken to Hospital Sungai Buloh for an autopsy, he added.
Earlier today, Sinar reported that an unidentified burnt body was discovered near a palm oil plantation area, adjacent to a cow shed in Kampung Sungai Limau. The incident occurred yesterday.
The public became aware of the incident when they noticed smoke emanating from the bushes as they passed by the nearby area at about 7am.