KOTA KINABALU – The mother of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir, who was found dead at her school dormitory's compound, will hand over her mobile phone to the police today in a move to assist investigations into her daughter’s death.
The phone contains audio recordings of conversations between Zara and her mother, which the legal team believes could be crucial in shedding light on the circumstances surrounding her death.
Lawyers Hamid Ismail and Shahlan Jufri, who represent Noraidah Lamat, 45, said the handover would take place at the Kota Kinabalu District Police Headquarters (IPD) in Kapayan on Thursday afternoon.
“We are grateful to the Attorney General’s Department for returning the full preliminary investigation report concerning Zara’s death to the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) yesterday, along with instructions on several specific matters to be completed before further action is taken.
“To help complete the police investigation, our client, who is Zara’s mother, will hand over her mobile phone containing audio recordings of phone conversations between her and Zara to the police this afternoon at the IPD Kota Kinabalu in Kapayan,” they said in a statement on Thursday.
The legal team also expressed hope that the authorities will act on the requests submitted in a letter dated Aug 5 to the Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar.
“We hope that three matters have been included in the stated instructions, namely an investigation to be conducted by experienced investigating officers from Bukit Aman, the exhumation of Zara’s grave for a post-mortem to determine the true cause of death, and the holding of an inquest to determine whether there were any criminal elements in Zara’s death.”
Prior to this, four voice recordings of conversations between Zara and her mother were circulated on social media, drawing public attention and concern.
Zara, a Form One student, was reported to have fallen from the third floor of a religious school dormitory in Papar on July 16 and was pronounced dead the next day.
Her death received widespread media coverage after allegations surfaced linking it to bullying at the school.