1947 Bangi stabbing

Mass stabbing in Selangor, Malaysia May 2026 Bangi, Selangor, Malayan Union 9 October 1947 6:10 p.m. 11 10 Mat Taram bin Sa'al Not criminally responsible Murder Pocket knife On 9 October 1947, a mass stabbing took place at Bangi Komuter station in Bangi, Selangor, British Malaya. Eleven people were killed and ten were injured on a FMSR train and outside the station before the perpetrator, 30-year-old Mat Taram bin Sa'al, was arrested in Sabak Bernam following a two-day manhunt. He was found not guilty for the insanity defense, and involuntarily committed to a mental hospital. Incident On 9 October, Mat Taram and his family went to Labis by bus, where they boarded the mail train from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.Police close on killer: 10 now dead, The Singapore Free Press (October 11, 1947)9 killed, 12 wounded in amok's orgy of killing, The Straits Times (October 11, 1947) For most of the journey, Mat Taram remained quiet, but at about 6:10 p.m., when the train had just passed Bangi and was on its way to Kajang, he entered the restaurant car, drew a pocket knife with a four-inch blade and attacked four British Other Ranks of the Malaya Command Signals Regiment, who were having dinner at one of the tables. He killed sergeant Herbert Victor Marston by stabbing him in the heart,Charged with amok murder, The Straits Times (15 October 1947) fatally stabbed J. Cormack in the abdomen, grievously injured Robert Ralston with a stab in the chest, and also stabbed a Malay named Mohamed Eusoff, as well as an Indian named Malimalai, who died from his chest wound on 12 October.Amok death toll reaches eleven, The Straits Times (13 October 1947) When the train was brought to an emergency halt, Mat Taram jumped off and disappeared into the jungle. Under a bridge near the railway tracks he stabbed a Chinese vagrant to death, and three miles further on entered a kongsi hut near Sungai Tangkas where he killed Cheow Hin, as well as two elderly women, and three children, and wounded nine other people, among them four children,Amok: Charge of murder, The Straits Times (14 October 1947) before fleeing. Police arrived at the hut about one hour later, whereupon the wounded were brought to hospital. One of them, a woman, died from her wounds soon thereafter. Manhunt While hundreds of police officers were searching for him in the jungle around Bangi,Amok slays 5, wounds 12, The Singapore Free Press (10 October 1947) Mat Taram went on a 90-mile march to his home in Parit Six, where he arrived 36 hours later. Upon being asked why he had returned, since it was thought that he was on his way to Sumatra, he told that he had no money for the trip and was on his way back home, but he had lost his wife and children when he was pushed out of the train after a fight that was incited by a Chinese boy who had spilt tea on him. Mat Taram was then brought to Sabak Bernam Police Station where he related his story, telling that he couldn't remember anything that happened after he was pushed off the train. One of the policemen, who had read the story about the mass murder in a newspaper, suspected that he could be the sought culprit, and so Mat Taram was arrested. Mat Taram was detained in Teluk Anson, where he was identified by his wife.Police arrest man in train amok hunt, The Straits Times (12 October 1947) Victims Cheow Hin, 40 Chong Yit San, 7 J. CormackLiew Kew, 2 Liew Ng Tai, 5 MalimalaiHerbert Victor Marston Three elderly women Chinese vagrant Those wounded were: Robert Ralston, Mohamed Eusoff, Liew Ngan, 8, Liew Fah, 14, Liew See Tai, 13, Chong Kew, 13, Ng Lan, 50, Chong Shuen, Wong Yee and Chin Sam.The dead and the wounded, The Straits Times (October 11, 1947) Perpetrator Mat Taram bin Sa'al, also known as Utoh, was a Banjarese padi planter from Tunggal Island near Sumatra.Accused of sergeant's murder, The Straits Times (4 May 1948) He owned a farm in Parit Six, Bagan Terap, near Teluk Anson, but when he wanted to return to his birthplace, he sold his house and land for 200 Straits dollar, and together with his wife and three children took the train to Singapore, to inquire the price for the journey. Upon finding that he could not afford the fee for the ferry, he became depressed, and, according to his wife, stayed awake for two days, but eventually he decided to return to Parit Six. Legal proceedings Mat Taram was charged with the murder of Herbert Marston on 13 October. The case was then transferred to the court in Kajang, where hearings began on October 14. On 29 October, Mat Taram was sent to the mental hospital in Tanjong Rambutan to be observed there for a month.Alleged Amok Sent To Asylum, The Straits Times (30 October 1947) On 4 May 1948, he was found to have been of unsound mind while committing the murders and was sentenced to be confined at the mental hospital in Tanjong Rambutan at the pleasure of the Ruler-in-Council.Killed Eleven in Train - Insane, The Straits Times (5 May 1948) References External links Malay runs amok, kills 8, The Daily News (10 October 1947) Frenzied Malayan runs amok in train, Cairns Post (11 October 1947) Maniacal murderer is still at large, The Mirror (11 October 1947) Malay runs amok on train with pocket knife, The Canberra Times (11 October 1947) Malay, amok, kills 9, wounds 12, The Sunday Times (12 October 1947) Demented Malay found 150 miles from murder scene, The Canberra Times (13 October 1947) Strange sequel to Malayan murders, The Examiner (13 October 1947) Malay killer surrenders to police, The Advertiser (13 October 1947) Costly fares made Malayan a killer, Barrier Miner (14 October 1947) Kill me or set me free, Cairns Post (5 May 1948) Killed 11 on train, The Northern Miner (6 May 1948) Category:1947 in Malaya Category:1947 mass murders Category:Mass stabbings in Asia Category:Attacks on railway systems Category:Railway accidents and incidents in Asia Category:Knife attacks in Asia