9-year-old boy, addicted to phone games, slashes 6-year-old brother’s neck after hearing voices

MALAYSIA: A six-year-old boy in Johor was found with a slashed neck at home after an incident involving his nine-year-old brother, who police said had become severely addicted to online games.

According to China Press, Johor Police Chief Rahaman said at a press conference that preliminary investigations revealed the older brother had been engrossed in online gaming for a long period, spending much of his time accumulating over one million game points. The situation reportedly escalated when the younger sibling accidentally broke his brother’s mobile phone, resulting in the loss of all accumulated points.

Police said the older brother began hallucinating, claiming that he heard voices instructing him to harm his younger brother. Acting on these hallucinations, he took a knife from the house and stabbed his six-year-old brother, leaving him with a deep wound to the neck.

Rahaman added that both parents were aware of the incident and have been arrested to assist in the investigation. “We are still gathering information and have not yet been able to record a statement from the injured boy. Our current focus is on investigating the family,” he said.

The six-year-old victim was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent surgery for his injuries. He is reportedly in stable condition and remains under medical care.

The Johor Social Welfare Department has since stepped in to provide temporary care for both the injured boy and his nine-year-old brother, as well as their 15-year-old sister.

It is understood that the older brother had been addicted to an open gaming platform where users could create or play various types of games, including educational, simulation, management, and violent shooting genres.

Police are investigating the case under provisions of the Penal Code related to causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons.