Penang CPO: Cyber-bully who caused 17-year-old girl to commit suicide detained

GEORGE TOWN: Police have detained a 20-year-old man who allegedly made a threat that led a 17-year-old school girl to commit suicide on August 3.

Penang police chief Comm Datuk Sahabudin Manan (pic) said the suspect was arrested by a team of police from the south west police district headquarters at Kuala Kangsar, Perak on August 4 at about 7.50pm.

"Following the investigation on the girl's death, the police detained the suspect to help facilitate the investigation," he told a press conference at the state police headquarters on Tuesday (August 11).

Comm Sahabudin said that the police have seized a mobile phone belonging to the suspect which also contained pictures that included women's breasts and the genitals of unidentified individuals.

He said the suspect is also being investigated in similar cyber-bullying cases in several states such as Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor and Perak.

"The suspect was alleged to have bullied others in social media by using the same modus operandi.

He also threatened the victims that he befriended on Facebook if the victims refuse to continue their relationship or have sex with him and this is criminal intimidation" said Comm Sahabudin.

He added that according to the mother of the victim, the family received a call from the suspect who requested to talk with her daughter, but she had refused.

The suspect was said to have uttered profanities against the victim's mother for not allowing him to talk to the girl over the phone.

It was learnt that the suspect also threatened the mother of the victim, saying he would make her daughter's pictures go viral and that the suspect became furious when the victim also refused to talk to him.

In the 6pm incident on August 3, police received a distress call from the public about a girl who was found dead at a condominium in Bayan Lepas.

Comm Sahabudin said the suspect has no prior criminal record and is being remanded for seven days from August 5 until August 11.

He said the case is being investigated under Section 507 of the Penal Code.