Man perishes in fire, arson suspected

JOHOR BARU: A man perished in a fire that destroyed a double storey house in Taman Sri Tebrau here last night, where arson is suspected.

  The charred remains of Teoh Siang Kiang, 23, who works in Singapore, was found in one of the rooms on the second floor of the house, which have been renovated by the owners and rented out to nine tenants.

  Johor Baru fire station acting chief Omera Omar said the Fire and Rescue Department received the emergency call at about 8.36 pm and two fire engines with eight firemen were rushed to the scene.

  “We managed to put the fire under control at about 8.45 pm. We were not informed that there was a victim trapped in the house and found the remains of a man while we were putting out the fire,” said Omera.

  Johor Baru South police chief Assistant Commissioner Zainuddin Yaacob said a 45 year old man have been arrested early yesterday morning to help in the investigation.

  “The suspect, who have a history of mental illness, was arrested at a budget hotel in the city at about 1.40 am. Initial investigation showed that the suspect is from Muar and works as a fruit seller here.

  “The suspect is also a drug addict and have a criminal record,” said Zainuddin.

  He said the police is trying to identifying the link between the suspect and the victim.

  “The victim’s body was sent to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital for a post mortem and the case is being investigated under Section 302 and Section 436 of the Penal Code,” said Zainuddin.

Man perishes in fire, arson suspected