PETALING JAYA: He was bound, beaten and burned with an iron for days, leading to his death – all because of a dispute over a laptop.

When 21-year-old Malaysian Na­­tional Defence University student Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain was rushed to Hospital Serdang on Thursday, his body was found 80% covered in bruises and burn marks.

The final-year navy cadet officer’s two supposed friends who had rushed him to hospital were arrested, along with 34 other students – 30 from the university and four from Universiti Tenaga Nasional.

Over the laptop dispute, he was beaten and tortured for two days with a belt, rubber hose, iron and hanger by his varsity mates on May 20 and 21, a source said.

“A week later on May 27, two of his batch mates drove the victim to a clinic in Bangi for treatment.

“They brought him to the clinic again on May 31,” the source said.

This time, they did not return to the university as they had snuck out without permission, and are be­­lieved to have holed up at an apartment in Serdang.

However, the duo realised that Zulfarhan’s condition had worsen­ed at around 8pm on Thursday and they had no choice but to rush him to Hospital Serdang.

Zulfarhan succumbed to his injuries about two hours later.

Selangor CID chief Senior Asst Comm Fadzil Ahmat confirmed the case is a murder investigation and that 36 students were arrested, but declined to comment further.

All 36 have been remanded for a week until June 8.

“It is still an ongoing investigation, please let us carry it out without everyone speculating,” he said.