A 17-year-old boy in Malaysia was allegedly beaten to death over RM85, or S$24.10.

The incident is being investigated for murder.

13 students, aged 16 to 19, have been arrested.

Accused of stealing S$24.10 (RM85)

The boy, Mohammad Nazmie Aizzat Mohd Narul Azwan, was a vocational school student in Lahad Datu district in Sabah, Malaysia, New Straits Times, The Star, Bernama, Oriental Daily and The Sun reported.

Nazmie was found unconscious and lying on the floor in a hostel room at around 6:50am on Mar. 22, 2024. His body had injuries and bruises.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by medical officials.

Based on police investigations, Nazmie was accused of stealing RM35 (S$9.97) and RM50 (S$14.2) from two students at the hostel and was allegedly fatally attacked as a result.

Post-mortem completed

The police arrested all 13 male suspects on the same day on Mar. 22 and seized 12 smartphones and a smartphone charger.

The police said they have obtained a six-day remand order for the suspects.

All the suspects tested negative for drugs during a preliminary urine test.

A post-mortem conducted at Lahad Datu Hospital's Forensic Department on Mar. 23 has since been completed, the police said on Mar. 25.

Task force investigating case for murder

However, Malaysian authorities are not revealing the findings for the time being to avoid speculation, as the case is still under investigation.

A task force has been set up to investigate the case for murder.

In the meantime, Malaysian authorities urged the public not to speculate.

Malaysia's Ministry of Education said in a statement that it was saddened by the incident.

It added that it is cooperating with investigations, and urged the public to respect the privacy of the deceased's family.

Top image from Oriental Daily