GEORGE TOWN, March 3 — A 68-year-old man suspected of slashing another man at a restaurant in the Pulau Tikus area was found dead at a house in George Town yesterday, in an apparent case of suicide following the alleged assault.
Penang Police Chief Datuk Azizee Ismail said the incident unfolded early Tuesday when a 58-year-old man arrived at the Pulau Tikus Police Station at about 6.30am with blood on his head, reporting that he had been slashed by someone he knew at a restaurant near the Pulau Tikus Market.
Police immediately sent officers to track down the suspect based on information provided by the victim. At around 8.05am, officers arrived at a house on Solok Codrington where they found the suspect deceased in the kitchen area. Initial investigations suggest that the man had taken his own life by hanging.
A post-mortem confirmed that the cause of death was hanging, police said, and the case is now being investigated under Section 326 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing grievous hurt.
As part of the probe, authorities seized a machete believed to have been used in the slashing attack. The weapon was found in a rubbish bin in the Pulau Tikus Market area, roughly 50 metres from where the initial assault took place.
Police said preliminary investigations indicate that the attack may have stemmed from financial issues between the victim and the suspect, though details remain limited as inquiries continue. Officers are gathering further evidence and conducting interviews to establish the full circumstances leading up to both the assault and the subsequent death of the suspect.
The victim was immediately sent to Hospital Pulau Pinang (HPP) for treatment of his injuries. Police have not yet released further updates on his condition, but initial reports indicate that he survived the attack and provided crucial information that helped officers locate the suspect.
This case comes amid heightened awareness of violent assaults in the Penang area, though police have not linked this incident to other recent attacks. Local law enforcement continues to urge the public to assist with any information that may aid the investigations.
