Man Who Slashed Wife And Slashed Himself In Early Morning Incident Critical

GEORGE TOWN, Aug 27 (Bernama) -- A female teacher was injured in the neck after being slashed by her husband, who was also critically injured after slashing himself, in an incident in Taman Tunas, Sungai Ara, near here early this morning.

Southwest District Police Chief ACP Sazalee Adam said the incident, which occurred at about 6 am, was noticed by the woman's mother after she heard her daughter's screams from a room on the upper floor of the two-story terraced house.

"The incident happened before the Subuh prayer this morning, and it was noticed by the victim's mother who heard her daughter's screams from their room. She immediately rushed upstairs to see what was happening and found her son-in-law on top of the victim (the suspect's wife).

"The woman claimed to have seen the suspect trying to slash the victim and she immediately pulled her daughter off the bed and ran out. At the same time, the woman saw her son-in-law slashing his own hand and neck on the bed," he told reporters at the scene today.

He said the 28-year-old victim suffered neck injuries and is in stable condition, while her 30-year-old husband, also a teacher, is in critical condition with severe injuries to his neck and left wrist. Both are receiving treatment at the Penang Hospital.

Sazalee said further investigations were being carried out to identify the actual cause of the incident involving the couple, who have been married for six years and have a three-year-old daughter.

He said the couple did not have any financial problems, depression, or third-party issues, and they lived a happy life.

"Initial police investigations found that the suspect is believed to have used a knife taken from the kitchen before slashing his wife and himself. We believe the incident occurred when the victim had just woken up and was about to pray before getting ready for school.

"We are still conducting further investigations as the man does not have any criminal record or history of mental health issues or depression," he said.

He said a review of the couple's WhatsApp conversations also did not show anything suspicious or strange, and they did not show any change in behavior, even being friendly with each other yesterday.

Sazalee said the couple are graduates of an university in Beijing, China, and had a Mandarin language education as a second language. Both teach at different schools in the district.

He said police will record their statements later, and the man will be detained and remanded to assist with the investigation under Section 307 of the Penal Code.

-- BERNAMA