State police chief Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said investigations revealed there was an argument between the 61-year-old suspect and his sister-in-law, after she reprimanded him for not having a job.

“The hot-tempered man was later said to have damaged the computer at the home and got angry. There had been a long-standing grudge which is still under investigation, but the woman had never lodged a police report before this,” he said.

He said the suspect also attacked the woman’s husband, who is his elder brother. There was no evidence so far of the suspect having any record of a mental illness.

Mior said an autopsy of the two victims showed that the injuries were caused by a rope, a small knife and a blunt object like the back of an axe.

The cause of death of housewife Ooi Tin Lu, 59, and her husband Ng Chun Hon, 64, a mechanic, was due to injuries inflicted by sharp and blunt objects on the head.

The bodies of the two victims were found covered in blood in the living room of the house by Chun Hon’s brother who returned after work and reported it to the police at about 8.50am.

Police found two bodies placed close by, one lying down and the other propped up against the wall. They were believed to have died from head injuries, but weapons were found.

The suspect, who had fled with Ooi’s Proton Saga car, was tracked down in Genting Highlands, Pahang at about 7.45pm yesterday and arrested. Police found an axe, believed to be the murder weapon.