By TAN SIN CHOW

GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA: Investigations into the abduction of student Muhamad Akhir Idris, who was forced to drink unknown liquids that badly scalded his mouth and throat, were hampered because he could not speak due to the injuries.

Penang police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob said a comprehensive statement was needed from the victim as he was the key person in the case.

"Although he can write now, we still feel there is something lacking. We need him to speak to us to get a clearer picture.

"Our investigating officers will be visiting him from time to time and once we find he is fit for questioning, we will do it immediately," he said over a telephone interview yesterday.

Muhamad Akhir, 16, who was admitted to the Penang Hospital, claimed he was abducted by a man and two others believed to be Thais, outside his home in Sungai Gelugor here on Thursday.

He said he was driven to an office in Minden Heights nearby, where he was first forced to drink a purple liquid, and later tortured and forced at gunpoint to drink a second liquid that caused a sharp pain in his mouth and throat.

He said he then pretended to faint, and his captors drove him to Balik Pulau and pushed him out of the car by the side of Jalan Baru, where he sought help from a trader.

A man in his 50s was arrested by police later the same day to help in the investigations but was released on police bail about noon on Saturday.

DCP Ayub said police were still waiting for a medical report to determine the boy's injuries.

George Town OCPD Asst Comm Azam Abd Hamid said a sample of the victim's saliva had been sent to the DNA Forensics Laboratory in Petaling Jaya to identify the liquids he was forced to consume.

-- The Star / Asia News Network