A senior police official announced today that the investigating officer for the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir failed to follow proper protocol by not requesting a post-mortem.
Bukit Aman’s criminal investigation department (CID) director, M. Kumar, stated at a press conference that Zara’s death occurred under suspicious circumstances that required a post-mortem.
“Although Zara’s mother had signed a statutory declaration declining a post-mortem, the investigating officer should have applied for one,” Kumar said.
He added that the officer and their superior would be referred to Bukit Aman’s Integrity and Standard Compliance Department for failing to follow procedure.
A special task force from the Bukit Aman CID has been dispatched to Sabah to take over the investigation. This news follows the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ decision earlier today to order a formal inquest into Zara’s death.
Zara was found unconscious at her school hostel in Papar, Sabah, on July 16, after allegedly falling from the third floor. She passed away the following day at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital.
The case gained renewed attention on August 3, when her mother, Noraidah Lamat, filed a police report after discovering bruises on her daughter’s back while preparing the body for burial.
Kumar revealed that the ongoing investigation has uncovered evidence suggesting Zara may have been a victim of bullying. To date, police have recorded statements from 82 individuals, and 124 students have received counseling following the incident.
In a related development, Kumar confirmed that a 39-year-old woman was arrested in Rawang last week for spreading false information about the case, including a claim that Zara had been forced into a washing machine.
The woman has since been released on police bail. He noted that police have opened 15 investigation papers regarding the dissemination of unverified claims and warned that such actions could disrupt public order and impede the investigation.
