The incident occurred yesterday evening at a religious school in Pontian, Johor, with the teacher believed to have acted out of anger after three of the four students caught him smoking.

The 48-year-old also allegedly scolded several other students using harsh language, Kosmo reported.

Pontian district police chief Shofee Tayib said the parents of the victims lodged a report at the Ayer Baloi police station.

“After initial investigations, we found that the students returned home from school in tears and trembling, recounting the incident at school to their respective families,” he was quoted as saying.

Shofee said one of the students had sustained injuries to his upper body and forehead.

He said the teacher reportedly admitted to feeling angry because a student had caught him smoking in the school storeroom.

“So far, the teacher has not been arrested because the police are awaiting directives from the deputy public prosecutor’s office before continuing with the investigation,” he said.

According to Shofee, the police have issued notices to the four students for further examination at Pontian Hospital.