M'sian man, 68, found dead after allegedly slashing another man, 58, who owed him over S$50,000

An elderly Malaysian man who allegedly slashed another man at a restaurant was later found dead at a house.

According to China Press, the deceased man, Wu Jinfu (transliterated), a fruit hawker, had previously filed a police report on Jan. 2.

He stated that his friend and his brother owed him more than RM180,000 (S$58,118) and refused to repay it.

On Mar. 2 at around 6:30am, the 58-year-old victim went to Pulau Tikus Police Station in George Town, Penang, after allegedly being slashed by Wu at a restaurant near the Pulau Tikus Market.

The victim's head was bleeding from the attack, and he was sent to Hospital Pulau Pinang for treatment, reported The Star.

Cause of death was hanging

Penang police chief Azizee Ismail said in a Mar. 2 statement that, based on information provided by the victim, at 8:05am, Malaysian police went to a house at Solok Codrington to track down the suspect.

"However, upon arrival, police found a man estimated to be 68 years old, suspected to be the individual in the case, deceased in the kitchen area of the house."

Azizee said that "he is believed to have taken his own life using a rope”, and post-mortem results corroborated this fact.

Azizee noted that further investigations led to the seizure of a machete that was believed to be the weapon used.

Police found the machete in a rubbish bin in the Pulau Tikus Market area, around 50 metres from the scene of the incident, reported The Star.

Debt dispute

Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident resulted from financial issues between the victim and the suspect, said Azizee.

China Press reported that Wu's longtime friend began borrowing more than RM160,000 (S$51,666) on the grounds of economic problems, and his brother also borrowed nearly RM20,000 (S$6,456) from him.

Due to their longstanding trust, Wu did not document the loan.

The case is being investigated under Section 326 of Malaysia's Penal Code.

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Top photo from China Press and Canva