SHAH ALAM: Police have arrested two local men and a woman on suspicion of committing mischief by fire and splashing paint targeting victims during a special operation in Kepong and Bukit Jalil on April 8 and 9.
Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan (pic) said the suspects, including a married couple aged 20 and 22, were arrested following a report lodged by a 29-year-old man in Ampang on March 20, claiming that his house was set on fire with a petrol bomb (Molotov cocktail).
He said investigations revealed that the suspects were offered between RM1,000 and RM1,500 by loan sharks from Singapore through social media to commit mischief by fire.
According to Hussein, the suspects were paid between RM600 and RM900 for each act of paint splashing.
"Investigations found that the two male suspects also recruited others via Facebook and other platforms, offering RM500 to RM800 for mischief by fire jobs and RM300 to RM350 for splashing paint," he told a press conference here on Wednesday (April 23).
Hussein said the female suspect was responsible for recording videos and taking photos of the acts, which were then sent to claim payment from those who had hired them.
He said checks revealed that the suspects were involved in nine cases of mischief, with four cases in Selangor, two in Perak, two in Johor, and one in Negeri Sembilan.
Hussein said all three suspects had no prior criminal records, and that their arrest had solved four cases involving mischief by fire and paint-splashing in Ampang Jaya, Kajang, Serdang, and Kuala Langat.
"The two male suspects are still under remand, while the female suspect has been released on bail. The case is being investigated under Section 436 of the Penal Code," he said. – Bernama
