KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - A Deepavali gathering among friends turned into a tragedy when two of them were slashed to death by a group of parang-wielding men at Desa Puteri Flats in Seri Petaling here.

In the 1am incident yesterday, the three friends were having drinks under a tree when three motorcyclists arrived and started to rev their vehicles loudly.

The friends, annoyed by the ruckus, confronted the motorcyclists. This led to a quarrel.

The dead were identified as S.P. Chaudry, 32, a technician, and B. Gunalan, 23. The third friend sustained serious injuries.

Chaudry was found about 500m from the flats while Gunala died in a room.

Cheras OCPD Asst Comm Ahmad Amir Mohd Hashim said the three friends, who were having drinks, warned the motorcyclists to stop ramming their vehicles.

"The motorcyclists left, but returned with a group wielding parangs," he said. "They attacked the friends who were still having their drinks under the tree," he added.

"Chaudry and Gunalan were found at different spots because we believe the two men had tried to escape and seek help," said ACP Ahmad Amir, adding that police recovered a motorcycle that belonged to one of the suspects. This led to the arrest of a 20-year-old suspect.

No weapons were found at the scene. Police are looking for four other men to facilitate investigations.

The bodies were sent to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital (HUKM) for postmortem.

Chaudry's sister, Visa Letchumy, 31, said she received a call from a relative at about 3am, informing them about the incident.

"The news came as a shock for us, especially for his wife, who is expecting their third child in about a week."

Those with information on the incident are urged to contact the nearest police station.

The Star/Asia News Network