A local man was arrested for setting fire to construction materials outside a shop on Avenida 1º de Maio (勞動節大馬路) near U Wa Building (裕華大廈) after becoming angry with the building management office, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Un Hong said during a special press conference yesterday.
The suspect, surnamed Lei, is 68 years old and claimed to be unemployed.
According to Cheong, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) received a report at around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday that construction materials outside a shop on Avenida 1º de Maio were on fire. PSP officers arrived and reviewed CCTV surveillance footage, which helped them identify the suspect. Officers intercepted Lei at around 10:45 p.m. and subsequently handed him over to the Judiciary Police for further investigation.
Cheong noted that the building management staff were notified by other residents about the fire, which had been extinguished by the staff before Fire Services Bureau (CB) officers arrived. The fire damaged the outer packaging of the construction materials, but no injuries were reported.
Under questioning, the suspect admitted to setting the fire, claiming that he had repeatedly had his motorcycle locked by the building’s management office when parking it in the estate’s internal street. He was also angry that the management had not dealt with the construction materials stored in the public area.
Cheong said the suspect passed the site at around 9:30 p.m. and, out of anger, used a lighter to ignite a plastic bag covering the materials.
He was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing an arson charge.
The Judiciary Police stressed that arson is a serious crime carrying a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, and urged residents to resolve disputes through rational and lawful means rather than acting impulsively.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded arson suspect, surnamed Lei, to a PJ vehicle outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photo: Sherwin Hng
