PETALING JAYA, Aug 3 — The mother of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir has lodged a fresh police report after recalling signs of possible physical trauma on her daughter’s body, nearly three weeks after her death in a Sabah school hostel.
Noraidah Lamat made the report at the Sipitang police station today after remembering seeing bruises on her daughter’s back while preparing the body for burial.
Her lawyers, Hamid Ismail and Shahlan Jufri, said the memory surfaced only recently when she was questioned about the state of Zara Qairina’s body during the Islamic funeral washing ritual, which took place at Hospital Queen Elizabeth I on July 17.
“Our client did not include this important information in her earlier police reports because she had completely forgotten about it,” the lawyers said in a statement.
“She only recalled the bruises when we questioned her yesterday afternoon about the condition of her daughter’s body during the washing ritual.
“She forgot about this fact as she had been overcome with grief since July 16 following what happened to her daughter.”
The legal team said the newly recalled detail warranted a fresh investigation into Zara Qairina’s death — despite Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail stating yesterday that police had completed their probe and would be handing the investigation papers to the Attorney General’s Chambers next week.
“Zara Qairina’s grave must be exhumed immediately and a post-mortem must be conducted to determine the exact cause of death and whether any criminal elements were involved,” they said.
Zara Qairina was found unconscious at around 4am on July 16 after allegedly falling from the third floor of her hostel at a religious boarding school in Papar. She died the following day at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital in Kota Kinabalu.
The death of the 13-year-old has garnered national attention, with some — including family members — alleging a lack of transparency in the investigation.
The case has triggered a wave of online claims, with some users linking political figures to the incident.
