KOTA KINABALU, Sept 8 — The Coroner’s Court was today told that 21 Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) evidence bags containing handwritten papers had been handed over to the Chemistry Department of Malaysia in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Harian Metro (HM) reported that document examiner Nurul Atiqah Mohd Noh from the Forensic Science Analysis Centre testified as the second witness at the inquest into the death of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir.
She said all the documents, labelled W1 to W6, Y1 to Y7, and Y9 to Y15, bore the seal of the Royal Malaysia Police numbered 314, in addition to a police form 31 linked to complaint number Kinarut 1776/25, which was received at 8.37am on August 20, 2025.
During the proceedings, Nurul Atiqah identified the documents, which comprised sheets of handwritten notes marked ‘Y’, along with Zara Qairina’s exercise books, workbooks and notebooks marked ‘W’.
The inquest began at about 9.20am before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan, with conducting officer Dana Arabi Wazani questioning the witness.
Nurul Atiqah, 44, has 21 years of experience as a science officer with the Chemistry Department.
Her duties include receiving cases, preparing chemical reports, and conducting examinations of disputed documents, covering areas such as signatures, handwriting, typewriting, alterations, printing processes, paper and ink.
According to HM, she said the handwriting in the documents had been examined and compared with available samples to determine whether it belonged to the late Zara Qairina.
“I examined all the handwriting and carried out comparisons between the disputed writing and all the samples.
“I looked at the characteristics of the handwriting in both sets and identified similarities and differences.
“I used a magnifying glass and scientific equipment, including a video spectral comparator, in my examination,” she was quoted as saying.
Zara Qairina, a student of SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar, was found unconscious in a drain near her hostel at around 4am on July 16. She was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, placed on life support, but passed away the following day.
