Johor police have urged the public not to spread unverified information about last night’s gruesome murder at a petrol station here.
- A nation shocked by gruesome murder
- Man stabbed, run down twice at busy Johor Baru petrol station
- Four attackers in white BMW 520d with registration plate WB79L
- JB city centre in lockdown, manhunt for killers
Footage of the brutal murder was captured by an eyewitness and has since made its rounds on social media. Rumours of arrests have also been circulating, with social media users uploading photographs of ‘suspects’ allegedly detailed.
The brazen slaying at a busy petrol station, which is often frequented by Singaporeans as it is located close to the Causeway CIQ, has shocked Malaysians, who are calling for quick action in nabbing the attackers.
In refuting the rumours, State Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Azman Ayob said that any false information spread online could impede investigations into the case.
“The issue is still being investigated. There has yet to be any arrest.
“We will update (the public) if there is any new development.
“The information that there have been arrests is not accurate. I urge everyone to stop viralling wild allegations that could affect the investigation,” he was reported as saying.
In the 7.30pm incident which was captured on video, a man in his 30s died after being stabbed and run over twice by four men in a white BMW 520d in Johor Baru.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LovenapoK0
The incident happened at a petrol station in Jalan Sri Pelangi, Taman Pelangi.
The victim, who was with a foreign woman in her 20s and believed to be his wife, was using the air pump at the premises to inflate the tyres of their Volkswagen Polo.
State Police chief Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd said the four men in a BMW had approached the couple and tried to drag the man into their vehicle.
However, the victim resisted and a struggle ensued where the man was stabbed. In the event, the woman ran to seek help from the public.
“The victim managed to free himself but the suspects then got back into their car, made a turn and mowed him down and then reversed the vehicle and knocked him down again before escaping,” Mohd Khalil told reporters at the scene.
Before running over the victim, the suspects lighted and threw some firecrackers on the ground.
After the attack, the BMW sped out of the station, stopping briefly for one of the assailants to enter the car before fleeing.
Mohd Khalil said the man died on the spot.
Paramedics on the scene were unable to save him and it believed that he died of head and body injuries. Police found a stab wound on the left side of the victim’s chest.
“Police have taken the statement of the woman who is still in trauma over the incident,” he said.
He said the motive of the incident was being investigated, and the case classified under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
The victim’s identity has yet to be determined but he is believed to be a businessman. Information on the woman, in her 20s, is also unavailable.
A description of the suspects’ white BMW, with the registration plate WB79L, was posted on Johor police’s Facebook page.
It is understood that the police have identified a 55-year-old man as the owner of the BMW and have since placed him on the wanted list.
Parts of the city centre here have been put on lockdown as police launched a manhunt for the suspects. Besides many parts of downtown Johor Baru, police have put up roadblocks at several routes leading out of the city, including Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Tebrau.
It was reported that teams from the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters, the state police, and several district police headquarters such as Johor Baru Selatan, Johor Baru Utara and Iskandar Puteri, are involved in follow-up operations to trace the four men.