KUALA LUMPUR: A 19-year-old "Cassanova" and four of his girlfriends have been detained in connection with the torching of another lover, aged 16.
Police picked up the suspect, the girls and another male suspect yesterday morning in Setapak. The teen Romeo had gone into hiding following the incident, 10 days ago.
Nurul Firzanah Mat Zaki, who suff ered burns on her face and body, is in coma at the intensive care unit of Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
It was learnt the suspect had set the girl on fi re when she confronted him over his philandering ways. Sources said the girl became furious when she learnt of his exploits with several other girls.
Police detained him following a tip-off after they released his photograph to the media.
All six suspects are being investigated for attempted murder.
The source said the four girls, in their 20s, were believed to be close friends and ex-girlfriends of the prime suspect.
Sources further revealed that the motive is likely to be jealousy as the suspect and Nurul Firzanah had been involved in a heated argument the night before the incident.
In a Facebook posting, KL CID chief Datuk Ku Chin Wah confirmed the arrest, but the posting said only Nurul Firzanah's boyfriend and a female accomplice were arrested.
On the night of the incident, Firzanah had told her stepmother that she was going out to meet her boyfriend.
At about 4am, Firzanah's stepmother received a call from her who told her she had been torched by her boyfriend near a bush at Wangsa Sari Flat area in Section 1, Wangsa Maju and had been rushed to the hospital by residents.
It was learnt that since the family was familiar with Firzanah's boyfriend, they allowed her to go out with him.
Firzanah's father, Mat Zaki Mat Hussin had earlier told reporters that he had received a call from the person who had sent her to the hospital.
"At first I thought it was a prank call, and contacted my wife who told me that she had received a call from Firzanah saying she was burnt," he said. Mat Zaki then lodged a police report over the incident and handed them a picture of the suspect.
Firzanah's is the third case of jealousy gone wrong in two months.
On June 22, Chan Yee Mun, 22, was allegedly set alight by her boyfriend after a tiff. She died from her injuries four days later.
Police arrested her 33-yearold boyfriend and charged him with murder on July 1.
On June 29, bank clerk P. Yoga Ambiga was brutally attacked and set on fire outside her apartment in Ampang.
Three men, aged between 20 and 33, were charged with her murder.