GEORGE TOWN: A man was seriously injured when he was stabbed by a group of men, one of whom is his nephew, at a telecommunication shop in Jalan Veterinari yesterday.
The attack is believed to have been caused by a misunderstanding.
Northeast police chief Assistant Commissioner Soffian Santong said the 9.10pm incident saw the 41-year-old victim slashed with a parang in his stomach, left arm and left leg.
He was immediately rushed to the Penang Hospital for treatment.
"Based on initial investigations, the victim was said to have accidentally knocked into his nephew's shoulder at a restaurant at Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah here two days ago.
"The incident then escalated into a misunderstanding which resulted in the nephew and his five friends going to the shop to attack the victim," he said.
Soffian said police detained three men, including the nephew, aged between 25 and 28.
"Police are hot on the heels of three more suspects involved in the incident," he added.
Two of the three suspects nabbed had criminal records. All three have been remanded for three days to assist in the investigation under Section 148 of the Penal Code.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, Soffian said police received a report over the death of a trainee doctor, some three weeks after he had resigned from the Penang Hospital here.
The victim, in his 20s, was found dead in his house in Bukit Jambul yesterday.
"Yes, we did receive a report on death but can't comment further as we are still investigating the case."