JOHOR BAHRU, Feb 3 — Six skeletons, including five from a family believed to have died more than three months ago, were found in a burnt house in an oil palm plantation in Kangkar Pulai, Skudai, last month.
Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the husband of one of the victims lodged a report at Iskandar Puteri district police headquarters on January 9, after finding the human skeletons while looking for his wife and children, who were reported missing.
“The 48-year-old complainant had received information that his wife and children had been living in the house, which was located far from the main road, without electricity and water, before he went looking for them himself,” he said in a press conference at the Johor police contingent headquarters today.
Following the discovery, a forensic pathology team from Sultanah Aminah Hospital and Johor PDRM conducted a post-mortem on the skeletons that were found in the house, which is located near an abandoned temple.
Investigations found that the six victims were a 35-year-old woman, a 29-year-old man, a 19-year-old girl, two girls aged nine and five, and a two-year-old boy.
He said police are checking when the victims were reported missing.
Following further investigation and intelligence, police arrested four locals — three men and one woman — aged between 19 and 35 around Iskandar Puteri on January 21.
The suspects were found to have criminal records and three of them tested positive for drugs.
Asked about the motive for the murders, he said this would be covered during the court trial.
He said the case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code which carries the death penalty, imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years, and a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane.
Rahaman said the investigation has been referred to the Johor Attorney-General’s Chambers, with two male suspects to be charged at the Johor Bahru Magistrate’s Court tomorrow for murder.
The two other suspects who were released on police bail would be made prosecution witnesses.
