SEREMBAN: A serial arsonist who had been terrorising shopping malls in the state this month, was finally caught red-handed today.
The 22-year-old man was in the process of setting a towel on fire at a hypermarket at the Palm Mall at noon when he was busted.
Seremban district police chief, Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Zaki Harun said the hypermarket’s chief security guard spotted the incident via the mall’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) system.
“The guard immediately rushed to the location. He spotted the man, and with the aid of other guards, took him into custody,” he said.
The man was later handed over to the police.
“During questioning, the man admitted to being responsible for four other cases in the city. He admitted to using a lighter to set items ablaze.
“He said he did it for fun.”
The case is being investigated under Section 435 of the Penal Code for committing mischief by fire.
In the June 14 incident, four fire incidents were reported at different locations. These included the women’ clothing area at Mydin Hypermarket, garment area in Terminal 2 shopping centre, a bookstore at the Terminal 1 mall, and the men’s clothing section at the Giant Supermarket in Senawang.