Compiled by RASHVINJEET S. BEDI, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN

       A TEENAGER with Down Syndrome lost almost RM3,000 in savings kept in a biscuit container after his home in Felda Lubok Merbau in Kuala Nerang, Kedah, was razed by fire.

       Muhammad Amzar Haziq Mohad Azlan, 13, lost the money in the blaze that happened at 10am on Saturday, reported Sinar Harian.

       According to Sopiah Saidin, her grandson was saving the money to buy a smartphone.

       “The money in the biscuit tin was saved from his duit raya, money that people gave him as well as his school allowance,” Sopiah said.

       The 83-year-old grandmother said she had noticed the flames on the top part of her home before she told her four grandchildren including Muhammad Amzar Haziq to run for safety.

       “The incident happened so quickly and the fire was so intense that we could not save any important documents such as our identity cards,” she said, adding that her children were not in the house at the time.

       Sopiah said that although she could not save the things and furniture in the house, she was relieved and grateful that all her family members were safe.

       “Luckily, the fire was spotted early and we could save ourselves,” she added.

       > A prostitution syndicate that offered sexual services via the WeChat application in Klang was busted after police arrested eight foreign women at an apartment in Jalan Batu Nilam 16, reported Kosmo!.

       A local man in charge of the premises was also held during the 9.30pm raid on Saturday.

       The suspects were aged between 32 and 67.

       South Klang OCPD Asst Comm Shamsul Amri said investigations revealed the syndicate had been operating for the past month using WeChat, adding that the foreigners had entered the country with a social visit pass.

       “The syndicate charged RM200 for each session while the minder received a salary of RM1,800 a month.

       “We also seized items including condoms, a work schedule, a bottle of lubricant, massage oil, and RM183 in cash,” he said.

       He added that the man was remanded for three days and the women for 14.

       The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.