15-year-old student dies after being forced to drink poison

A 15-year-old boy who was forced to drink poison by a group of students in Nilai old town here last Wednesday, died at the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital (HTJ) here at 9.30pm last night.

The victim, S. Pravin admitted to the hospital on April 27.

Nilai police chief Supt Zaldino Zaludin said investigations into the case found there were doubts on the alleged act of being forced to drink poison.

"We will continue to investigate to find out what actually happened to the victim. So far no arrests have been made and we have not obtained any statement from the victim.

"We were unable to obtain the victim''s statement as his condition did not permit him to talk," he said in a statement here today.

On April 28, the media reported that S. Pravin was allegedly forced to drink a liquid after he was pinned down by a group of boys when he rebuked them for sniffing glue.

The victim later experienced stomach pains and vomiting and his mother took him to the Nilai Health Clinic before they were directed to go to HTJ in Seremban for treatment.

Zaldino said the case was investigated under Section 328 of the Penal Code (Causing hurt by means of poison) ,which provides for a maximum of 10 years jail and fine, if found guilty.

Meanwhile, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon, who visited the victim's family at their house in Taman Desa Jasmin, Nilai here, said the ministry viewed the tragedy seriously.

"I have pledged to the father that we will investigate and get to the bottom of the matter. We want to know the condition of the school , whether there are disciplinary issues or external forces influencing the school environment," he said.

In this regard, he urged individuals who witnessed the incident to come forward to assist police.

-- BERNAMA