GEORGE TOWN: A man who lost his left eyeball after it was gouged out by a foreign suspect in an incident near a flat on Jalan Ara Kuda, Tasek Gelugor, last Saturday, is now in stable condition.
Penang police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said the victim is still receiving treatment at the Penang Hospital.
"The victim is improving but has suffered permanent disability due to the incident," he said, adding that investigations are being completed to bring the suspect to court.
Earlier, Hamzah witnessed the handover of duties between the police chief of the Northeast District and the Perkep chairperson at the Northeast district police headquarters.
Hamzah said the investigation revealed that a verbal altercation between the 52-year-old victim and the 28-year-old suspect escalated into a physical brawl.
"The conflict started from a misunderstanding between the two, who were neighbours in the same housing area," he explained.
Further investigation showed that the victim had a criminal record and was believed to have been intoxicated at the time of the incident. Meanwhile, the suspect, who holds a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card, has no criminal record.
Yesterday, police confirmed that the foreign suspect who gouged out the victim's left eyeball was remanded for four days until Nov 20 to assist in investigations under Section 325 of the Penal Code.