With Chinese New Year set to take place next week, those celebrating the festive occasion are gearing up for it by stocking up on angpaos, snacks, and of course, firecrackers.
However, a man who was upset over not being able to purchase firecrackers for himself went on a fiery rampage by setting a stall on fire, resulting in enormous damage.
M’sian man sets stall on fire after he was unable to buy firecrackers
According to Harian Metro, the incident took place at Taman Eng Ann in Klang on Tuesday (Jan 30).
Klang Utara district deputy police chief Superintendent Mohd Khairi Shafie said that the suspect, a 25-year-old man, made his way to a stall which sold mandarin oranges and firecrackers with his motorcycle.
The seller was just about to hand over the firecrackers when she discovered that the suspect didn’t have the money to pay for it, causing her to take it back.
“At around 7pm, the suspect returned to the stall and threw a bottle containing what’s believed to be petrol towards it.
“Due to the man’s actions, the stall and a portion of the merchandise were destroyed by the fire, resulting in a loss of approximately RM18,000,” he said in a statement.
Had prior criminal records
Mohd Khairi said the fire was later extinguished by firefighters and the stall owner lodged a police report the next day.
The suspect was later arrested by police Taman Karuppiah, Padang Jawa at 1pm, where he was found to be unemployed and had two criminal records.
The case is being investigated under Section 435 of the Penal Code for committing mischief by fire, which carries an imprisonment of up to 14 years and a fine upon conviction.
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