KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) will take disciplinary action against investigating officers (IO) and their supervisors if investigations reveal any breach of regulation in the case involving the death of student Zara Qairina Mahathir.
Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail said an internal probe has been launched by the Bukit Aman Integrity and Standards Compliance Department (JIPS), with a special team established specifically for the case.
“We are investigating all aspects in accordance with the law and standard operating procedures (SOP). If any violations are found, appropriate action will be taken against the officers involved.
“Certain actions also need to be reviewed from a disciplinary perspective, and I have instructed the JIPS Director to take the necessary steps based on the level of non-compliance identified,” he told a press conference here today.
Earlier, it was reported that the failure of the investigating officer to request a post-mortem at the initial stage was identified as the main cause of SOP non-compliance in the case.
It was reported that Zara Qairina, a Form 1 student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Tun Datu Mustapha in Limauan, Sabah, was found unconscious near the school’s dormitory drain at 4am on July 16 and died a day later at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital, Kota Kinabalu. — Bernama
