A man who slipped into a coma following a botched suicide attempt after he allegedly murdered his three children, has regained consciousness and will be quizzed by the police today.

Johor Baru Utara CID chief Zamri Awang said the 46-year-old man, who was warded at the Intensive Care Unit of the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru, regained consciousness at 8am yesterday.

"An investigator and I went to see the man at 11am and found that he has recovered and could communicate. He will be questioned today about the case," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

On Saturday, the man and his 14-year-old daughter, from another marriage, were rescued by neighbours when the duo tried to hang themselves.

Police also found the bodies of three children aged six, five and three, who had been strangled in the house at Kulai.

Over the days, there have been several twists to this gruesome murder case.

Reports unheeded

Initially, police believed the man murdered the children and tried to commit suicide because his wife left him for another man, the wife then came back with claims that she had run away from an abusive relationship.

Her family also accused the police of turning a blind eye to about 20 reports lodged against the suspect.

The police responded by claiming that on Nov 13, the suspect had lodged a report claiming that his wife had abused the children by branding them with a hot spoon.

Commenting on this, Zamri said police would question the woman at an appropriate time.

"We have her telephone number and will call her in for questioning in relation to the case. If she does not comply, a warrant of arrest will be issued," he added.

Meanwhile, counsel for the wife, S Gunapati, said his client would cooperate fully with the police on the case.

"However, (my client) was at the Kulai police station last night (Tuesday). I'm puzzled why they did not ask for her statement then," he said when contacted by Bernama.

In a related development, the couple's 14-year-old daughter's remand order has been extended to Saturday.