CCTV Footage Shows Someone Sneaking Into The Tahfiz School 2 Hours Before The Blaze
Investigations are now focused on the possibility of foul play.
By Sadho Ram — 16 Sep 2017, 04:25 PM
Investigators have found traces of petrol on the second floor of the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah Tahfiz Centre where 23 souls perished in the 5am blaze on Thursday, 14 September, NST Online reported today
The traces of petrol were found in the front of the door of the dormitory, where the victims had been trapped, NST Online citing a source close to the investigations.
"This is believed to be (sic) reason why the fire spread fast," the source said.
This was also where investigators had found two cylinders which did not belong to the school. According to a warden of the school, during routine checks before bedtime at 11pm on Wednesday night, he did not see the gas cylinders on the floor.
Meanwhile, officials discovered a new lead on Friday, which has focused the point of investigations on the possibility of foul play
"From an initial probe, we suspected that the fire involved elements of foul play. This theory was further backed by a new lead after authorities reviewed CCTV recordings," NST Online quoted a source as saying, Friday, 15 September.
A report in NST Online said that police and Bomba officials were more convinced that "the fire was not an accident after reviewing CCTV footage" obtained from the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia's premises near the scene.
Authorities are now looking into the possibility that this was an arson case, a high-ranking official of one of the agencies investigating the case told NST Online.
NST Online reported that CCTV cameras from premises beside the Tahfiz school had captured what could be footage of a possible intrusion at the school about two hours before the blaze
One of the officers who spoke to NST on condition of anonymity told the paper that the CCTV "footage showed that a person, who looked like he was in his teens, snuck into the tahfiz school about 3am." The fire started around 5am.
However, Wangsa Maju police chief Superintendent Roy Suhaimi Sarif, who while confirmed obtaining footage from more than 15 CCTV cameras, declined to confirm if the footage had shown an intruder sneaking into the school, reported NST Online.
Screenshot from the CCTV footage showing a person sneaking into the tahfiz school at about 3am.
Image via Harian MetroWangsa Maju Chief SP Roy Suhaimi Sarif said that they are also investigation about a fight between students as a possible motive
Roy said police were investigating all angles and would record statements from all students and teachers before drawing any conclusions.
"We cannot jump to conclusions as the investigation is ongoing. Police will record statements from all necessary parties to shed more light into (sic) the case.
"We do not know yet if a fight between students was the motive. The fight could have taken place a long time ago and not related to this incident," he told NST Online.