15/08/2025

FRIDAY | AUG 15, 2025 5 Couple arrested over Segamat house fire JOHOR BAHRU: A couple, believed to have been hired by a Singapore-based loan shark, was arrested over a house fire that killed a 72-year-old woman in Kampung Bukit Siput, Segamat on Jul 25. Johor police chief Commissioner Ab Rahaman Arsad said the Segamat district police headquarters operations centre received an emergency call regarding a fire involving five houses at about 4.30am on Wednesday. “Investigations by police and the Fire and Rescue Department found elements of arson. “Police formed a special task force for the investigation and arrested the couple, a 21-year-old man and his 19-year-old girlfriend, in Subang Jaya, Selangor, a week after the incident. “Interrogation of both suspects revealed that an Ah Long (loan shark) syndicate in Singapore hired them to carry out criminal intimidation by setting fire to the house of a borrower who failed to repay a loan,” he said in a press conference at the Johor police contingent headquarters. Ab Rahaman said investigations found that the couple was suspected of committing crimes in Johor and Selangor since July, receiving RM1,000 for each job. “At the time of the incident, the elderly woman was alone. She never received any threat and it is believed that the suspected loan was taken out by a family member of the victim.” He added that the man will be charged while his girlfriend was released on police bail to serve as a prosecution witness. – Bernama Boy drowns after being chased by cattle KOTA BHARU: A seven-year-old boy drowned, after he is believed to have been chased by a herd of cattle before falling into Sungai Kaabah in Kampung Kelaweh, Machang in Kelantan. Machang Fire and Rescue station operations commander Senior Fire Officer II Muhamad Osman said a call about the incident was received at 4.22pm on Wednesday. “The team searched the area mentioned. The victim was found at 5.07pm, about 500m from the reported location, and was pronounced dead by Health Ministry personnel,” he said, adding that the body has been handed to police. He said the victim was reportedly playing with three friends before being chased by the cattle and falling into the river, located about 500m from his home. Muhamad Osman said the victim’s friends managed to save themselves by clinging to bushes on the riverbank. – Bernama Wedding feast food poisoning kills two TAWAU: Police have confirmed receiving a report regarding the deaths of a woman and her son yesterday due to food poisoning after a wedding feast at Kampung Batu 4 in Jalan Apas here. Tawau deputy police chief Supt Champin Piuh said the report lodged at 10.30am was made by a 24-year-old woman, the niece of the deceased woman. The complainant said her 36-year-old aunt and her nine-year-old eldest son are believed to have suffered from food poisoning after attending the wedding feast in the village last Saturday. “Based on the husband’s statement, his wife had also brought home some food from the feast, and after consuming it, he experienced diarrhoea and vomiting.” Champin said the Health Ministry is still probing the cause of the food poisoning, while a police forensic team is also conducting a probe. “The case has been classified as sudden death.” – Bernama

Attack on son attempt to silence me: Rafizi

o Ex-PKR deputy president says move aims to apply pressure through family

Fadzil said police are investigating all possibilities and reminded the public not to speculate until official information is released. “I believe police will investigate to confirm what really happened, and it is too early for me to comment. We leave it to them to conduct a full investigation. I do not think someone such as Rafizi would be cowed into silence by this, as he has faced court cases before and is used to pressure. The more he is pressured, the more he fights back,” he told reporters after officiating at an event in Kampung Kerinchi yesterday. He was responding to a question on whether the incident at a Putrajaya shopping mall was politically motivated. Meanwhile, Selangor police have confirmed they have launched a probe into the assault on Rafizi’s son, who was allegedly approached, grabbed and threatened with an unidentified object by an unknown individual outside Symphony 2, IOI City Mall in Putrajaya. He said the case is being handled by Selangor police with assistance from the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department. Anyone with information is urged to contact investigating officer ASP Mahafiz Mat Law at 010-239 6533 or Sepang district police chief ACP Norhizam Bahaman at 012-215 3239.

threats marked an escalation from the political pressures he previously faced. “Before this, I never received any threats. This time, it came through my wife. The media also knows I have been vocal on certain issues in the past two months. “When I start speaking about something, whistleblowers will come forward. Before I met them, there was nothing. After that meeting, this happened. Whether it is coincidence or causation, that is for the police to determine but in my view, there is a correlation.” He said the threats were designed to pressure him through his family, due to his past resilience despite legal challenges. “I’ve been sued, detained and lost my position before, but it did not change me. “Perhaps they think it is easier to influence me through my wife and son. If you put pressure on my son, it will affect my wife, and that could influence my decisions. This is basic psychology. “I have passed this information to the police and I hope the investigation will run smoothly.” He urged the media to refrain from speculation and give police time to complete their investigations, adding that premature disclosures could jeopardise future prosecution. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi

Ű BY HARITH KAMAL newskdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: Pandan MP Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli believes the attack on his son was an attempt to silence him over a scandal recently exposed by whistleblowers. The former PKR deputy president said a group of whistleblowers met him last Wednesday to share information on a case he is investigating. “In my opinion, this is an attempt to shut me up, there is something I am currently investigating, and the message is ‘hands off,’” he told the press at Parliament yesterday. “The parties involved know that once I start investigating, I will dig and dig. This may be their way to get me to move on and drop the matter.” In addition to the attack on his son, his wife has also received threatening messages ( see accompanying story ). Rafizi did not provide details, citing the ongoing police investigation, but said the

Threatening messages sent to wife of Pandan MP PETALING JAYA: “Diam. Andai teruskan, AIDS!” (“Keep quiet. If you continue, AIDS!”) That was the text sent to the wife of Pandan MP Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli just hours after an unidentified assailant attacked their teenage son at a shopping mall in Putrajaya, an act the former economy minister believes was meant to intimidate him into dropping an ongoing investigation. shopping mall. His son was taken to the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Hospital for immediate checks, including blood tests and observation. “At this stage, there are three possibilities, that he was injected with drugs or poison, with a virus such as hepatitis or HIV or with a blank.” many people knew my address or my family’s movements. “For it to happen at that precise moment, it would have required days of surveillance.” CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts from his wife, son, driver and others have been handed to police. He said his family’s security has since been tightened following police assessments.

Initial tests found no signs of drugs or toxins but his son will undergo repeated blood tests every six weeks for six months to rule out viral infections. “In the best-case scenario, it’s a blank. So far, my son is recovering well and in good spirits.” Rafizi said the attack appeared professionally planned, with the perpetrators likely monitoring his family’s movements. “I had just moved to a new house and not

Speaking at a press conference in Parliament yesterday, Rafizi said his wife received the first threat at 1.12am, about 12 hours after the attack, from an unknown number. A second message arrived at 11.02am from the same number, repeating the warning and adding syringe emojis. “I have given these messages to police. I believe this will not stop.” The attack occurred at about 1.45pm on Tuesday at the parking lot of the

“I have always insisted my family live (as) ordinary people. But after this, certain things will have to change. “We have been through many challenges, but this time it is different because it involves our child. “To those who planned this, I hope they reflect on their actions.” Despite the incident, Rafizi vowed to continue his political work. – By HARITH KAMAL

FACTORY FORAY ... An Immigration officer escorting some of the 30 foreign workers detained during a raid on a plastic processing plant in Padang Serai, Kedah yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC