SHAH ALAM - More than a decade after three young sisters were brutally killed in Kedah, their mother is still searching for answers that never came.
As Ramadan and Aidilfitri approach each year, the grief returns for 53-year-old Siti Aishah Ariffin and her husband, Rusdi Rani, a reminder of the tragedy in 2013 that took the lives of their daughters and left a family permanently scarred.
A Mother’s Question That Remains Unanswered
For Siti, the memory of losing her three daughters remains as painful today as it was 13 years ago. Her grief resurfaced recently after learning that the man responsible for the deaths had died about three weeks ago following his release from prison.
Speaking about the loss, she said the question she has long wanted to ask the perpetrator will now never be answered.
“If I were given the chance to meet him again, I would want to ask why he killed my child. Why did he kill all our children? Even though 13 years have passed and he died three weeks ago, I still cannot forgive him. The act was extremely cruel,” she emphasised.
The Tragedy That Shocked The Nation In 2013
The case dates back to the evening of Nov 29, 2013.
That night, Aishah’s three daughters — Noor Syafikah Nadia Abdullah, 14, Nur Izzati Husna, 12, and three-year-old Puteri Nurul Akma — left home around 7.30pm to visit a friend.
According to their mother, she initially did not allow them to go out, but the girls later received permission from their father. When the children did not return home by around 8pm, the couple began searching the surrounding area, including nearby rivers and their friend’s house.
Their worst fears were confirmed the following day when hospital authorities contacted them and asked them to come to the forensic unit after members of the public discovered bodies.
On Nov 30, 2013, the body of Syafikah was found in an abandoned paddy field area in Kampung Alor Senibong.
About 24 hours later, the bodies of her two younger sisters were discovered in an irrigation canal managed by the Muda Agricultural Development Authority in Kampung Padang Petani near Alor Semela.
The discovery shocked the nation and drew widespread attention.
The Court Case And Prison Sentence
In 2015, the Alor Setar High Court sentenced Mohd Firdaus Mohd Faridul to 18 years in prison.
He had pleaded guilty under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code for causing the deaths of the three children. At the time of sentencing, he was 20 years old.
However, Aishah said that during the roughly two-year court process, she never had the chance to confront the accused or hear an apology from him or his family.
“Throughout the proceedings, I never met the accused. His family also never came to apologise until after he was released from prison and passed away recently, when his mother finally came to meet me to ask for forgiveness.
“They were actually our neighbours, just three houses away from ours in Kedah before,” she said.
Living With Grief As Every Aidilfitri Approaches
The passing of years has not eased the sense of loss for Aishah and her husband. Before the tragedy, their household was filled with excitement during festive seasons.
“Every time Ramadan and Aidilfitri come, the sense of longing grows stronger. In the past there were five of us in the family, lively and busy looking for festive clothes and shoes. Now there are only the two of us and it feels very lonely.
“The children loved eating soup and ‘ikan singgang’ and during Aidilfitri they liked rendang,” she recalled.
The emotional burden eventually led the couple to leave their home in Kedah. They moved in 2015 to Kampung Baru Tok Dor in Besut because the memories in their old house, especially the children’s rooms, were too painful to bear.
“Sometimes their antics still play in my mind as if the three of them were still here,” she said.
A Life Changed Forever
Today, the couple live quietly together, still coping with the aftermath of the tragedy. Their challenges have grown in recent months as Rusdi has been unable to work for about seven months due to an optic nerve condition.
Crime analyst Kamal Affandi Hashim, who has followed the case for years, recently invited the couple to break their fast at a hotel and provided Aidilfitri necessities and financial assistance.
“We must help them rebuild a life that has been shattered. Imagine, since 2013 until now they have never broken their fast outside. We want to show that we cry with them every day, not only when the incident happens. Otherwise that would be hypocrisy.
“This is our duty as Malaysians regardless of race or religion. Pain is still pain, blood is still blood,” he said.
Kamal also said the perpetrator had served his prison sentence and was later released.
“The perpetrator served his sentence and was released. It is understood he died three weeks ago after being found unconscious in a bathroom,” he shared.
A Wound That Time Cannot Heal
For Aishah and Rusdi, the legal process has long ended, but the emotional scars remain. Each passing year brings reminders of what might have been; the lives their daughters could have lived.
Reflecting on the loss, Aishah said the pain will never disappear.
"If they were still alive, they would now be 27, 25 and 16,” she said.