JOHOR BARU: A 15-year-old schoolgirl is among 13 suspects arrested for allegedly causing the death of a teenager in a traffic accident that is now being investigated as murder.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the incident occurred at Lingkaran Bulatan Persiaran Indahpura 4 in Kulai at 12.38am on Tuesday (Aug 25), when the victim and four other friends were on their way home after a night out.
"Initially, the incident was classified as a car accident as the hatchback vehicle that the 17-year-old victim was in was trailed by several vehicles, including a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV).
"The MPV allegedly hit the car and the victim, who was seated in the front passenger seat, was thrown out and died at the scene while the suspects fled," he told a press conference here on Friday (Aug 28).
Comm Ab Rahaman said police subsequently arrested 12 males and one female aged 15 to 31 in various locations in Johor and Selangor over the next three days.
He added that the suspects included those travelling in the same car as the victim.
"Based on the suspects’ statements, we reclassified the case under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder as some of them claimed that the victim was run over by the MPV after being thrown out of the car.
"We suspect the incident is linked to conflict between two underworld societies but the motive is still under investigation," he said.
Police also seized an MPV, a car, a pick-up truck, a baseball bat and a black baton during the arrests.
The case is also being investigated under Section 148 of the Penal Code for the possession of weapons in a riot and Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for causing death by reckless and dangerous driving, Comm Ab Rahaman said.
