Police: RM50,000 debt believed to have led to Johor restaurant shooting that killed three

JOHOR BAHRU, April 24 — Police believe at least six shots were fired in the restaurant shooting at Taman Kota Jaya on Sunday that left three people dead.

Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said investigations at the scene found six bullet casings.

He said the 71-year-old suspect is believed to have acted over a RM50,000 debt involving one of the victims, a 37-year-old Vietnamese woman.

“The suspect is believed to have lent the money in stages since 2023 to help the woman manage her eatery. However, there was no written agreement between them.

“… the woman is believed to be running the eatery owned by her in-laws, while the other two deceased were regular customers, aged 61 and 63, and were at the scene when the incident occurred,” he told a press conference at the Johor police headquarters here today.

He said investigations also found the suspect held a valid firearm licence issued in Kuantan, Pahang, and not in Johor.

Ab Rahaman said the suspect has been remanded until Sunday to assist investigations under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

“The investigation paper has been submitted to the Johor Public Prosecutor’s Office, and we have been given instructions for the suspect to be charged at the Kota Tinggi Court with three counts of murder,” he said, adding that the suspect is expected to be charged on Monday.

He said the suspect tested negative for drugs and was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

In the 1.30pm incident, two men and a foreign woman were found dead after being shot at the restaurant, with the victims believed to have been shot using a shotgun. — Bernama