Amok naked man burns down workers’ quarters in Ranau

KOTA KINABALU: A plantation labourer burned down the workers’ quarters he was staying in after running amok at a remote village in the interior Ranau district late Wednesday.

A Toyota Hilux pick up truck that was parked nearby was also destroyed in the 11pm incident.

The 53-year-old man appeared to have suffered psychological problems just before the incident by stripping naked and demanding his fellow workers to beat him up at Kampung Mindohuon Lama some 200kms from the city.

Witnesses said the man had been walking around in front of the workers quarters and talking incoherently before suddenly stripping off all his clothes.

His fellow workers tried to subdue him when he started shouting asking to be beaten up.

After appearing to have quietened down, the man was left on his own.

The man then grabbed a container filled with petrol and doused the wooden quarters with it before setting it on fire.

Ranau district police acting chief Asst Supt Rosley Hobden said Thursday that the man was detained by the public following the incident.

He said a police team as well as firemen rushed to the village, about 80kms from Ranau town upon being notified of the incident and found the quarters had been completely razed.

Rosley said the police team also detained four men aged between 30 and 40 years at the scene after they were found not possessing any identification documents.