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JOHOR BAHRU – Six male students were detained on Sunday after being suspected of involvement in bullying and extortion involving a 14-year-old victim at a boarding school in Muar.
State police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said officers from the Muar District Police Headquarters Criminal Investigation Division arrested them in the Muar and Alor Gajah, Melaka areas between 1.30am and 2.12am.
He said the arrests were made after police received a report on the incident at 5pm on Saturday.
“In the incident, the victim claimed he was punched in the chest and forced to hand over money to the suspects, who were senior students at the school.
“The victim also reported bruises around the eye area after his head was struck. As a result of the incident, the victim suffered emotional stress and trauma, leading him to decide to leave school,” he said in a statement.
He said investigations found that the incident occurred around May, allegedly because the victim was said to have used a vape obtained from another student.
He said the case is being investigated under Section 507B of the Penal Code and Section 323 of the Penal Code.
“Negligence investigations are also being conducted under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 against the hostel warden and school authorities,” he said.
He added that checks found all suspects have no prior criminal record and remand applications for all of them were approved for two days until tomorrow.
“Other students who were also victims of bullying by the suspects are urged to come forward and lodge police reports to assist in the investigation.
“Police take bullying cases in schools very seriously and will conduct investigations transparently and fairly from all angles,” he said.
At the same time, he urged the public not to make any speculation or comments that could interfere with the investigation process.
The public is also encouraged to provide information via hotline 019-2792095 or the Johor Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK) Operations Room at 07-2212999.
