Tawau police chief Jasmin Hussin said the 27-year-old victim was on his way home with his family on Tuesday when he received a WhatsApp message from his girlfriend informing him that she was pregnant.

The victim claimed that on Wednesday morning, he received another message from his girlfriend, asking him to come to her house.

“Upon arriving at the house three hours later, the victim was directed into a room and allegedly confined by the woman’s father,” Jasmin said in a statement.

“The situation escalated when the victim was struck with a belt buckle and punched in the head by the woman’s brother. He was also threatened with a samurai sword.”

The woman is accused of further injuring the victim by burning his left arm with a hot iron.

Jasmin said the victim managed to escape by breaking the window of the room and fleeing to the main road, where he sought help from a passerby.

A team from the Bombalai police station later arrested two male suspects, aged 30 and 64, as well as a 25-year-old female suspect.

Police seized a hot iron, mobile phone, and sheathed samurai sword believed to have been used during the assault.

The case is being investigated under Sections 324 and 506 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing harm and issuing criminal threats.