Cops stumble on man allegedly trying to dispose of murdered girl's body

MIRI: He might have gotten away with an alleged murder of a 13-year-old girl – if not for the chance appearance of a police patrol car.

Sarawak CID Chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Dev Kumar said police were on routine patrol at around 5.55pm Tuesday (Jan 9) along the Kuala Baram road here when they chanced upon a man in a forested area standing over his open car boot.

"When the patrol unit approached him, he slammed the boot closed, got into the car and sped off.

"After a 5km-long chase, the patrol car cornered the suspect near the Miri port.

"Policemen ordered the suspect to get out of the car and found the dead girl's body in the boot," he said, adding that the 33-year-old suspect was arrested immediately.

SAC Dev confirmed the case and said that the suspect is the boyfriend of the victim's mother.

He said the suspect is believed to be from Kuala Lumpur and was working in a furniture shop in Miri.

"He is staying with the victim, her mother and her elder sister at a house in Kuala Baram district (about 20km north of Miri)," he said.

SAC Dev revealed that an initial probe showed that the girl may have been killed earlier and her body stuffed into the car boot.

It is believed that he was trying to dump her body in the forest when the patrol car chanced upon him.

SAC Dev said there were signs of strangulation on the victim.

The cops will probe the suspect for murder and he is expected to be remanded Wednesday (Jan 10).