Stab marks found on Ipoh couple who died in fire, say police

IPOH (Bernama): The elderly couple who died in a fire in Taman Meru Impiana near Meru Raya here on Sunday (Nov 24) had several stab wounds on them, say police.

This was discovered when a post-mortem was conducted on the victims, Perak Criminal Investigations Department chief ACP Anuar Othman said.

He added that the case has now been reclassified as murder and investigated under section 302 of the Penal Code.

"There were stabs marks on the husband’s chest and on the back of the wife.

"The post-mortem concluded that the wife had died some 24 hours before the blaze... there is the possibility of the husband starting a fire after that, ” he said when met by reporters at the scene of the incident on Monday (Nov 25).

ACP Anuar said the police were investigating the case from several angles, including the motive and actual cause of the incident.

"Interviews with witnesses reveal arguments were heard before the incident. We are investigating the possible reasons of the arguments, whether it was related to money or other reasons, ” he said.

ACP Anuar said police were also looking for the weapon believed to have been used in the incident.

On Sunday, Ipoh district police chief ACP A. Asmadi Abdul Aziz, when met at the scene, said investigations by the Fire and Rescue Department found two gas tanks in the living room of the burnt apartment unit.

The Fire and Rescue Department has identified the victims in the fire as Kamal Musatafa, believed to be a foreigner in his 70s, and his Malaysian wife, Kamariah Talib, 74. - Bernama