Ejen Ali director found drowned after an alleged hysterical disturbance
It was alleged that while the vehicle was moving, the male passenger suddenly experienced hysteria, grabbed and turned the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to lose control and skid off the road.
ASYIKIN ASMIN
KINABATANGAN – There was no dispute between the husband and wife before the director of the animated series Ejen Ali allegedly jumped into the river at Kampung Batu Puteh here last Tuesday.
The victim, Andi Abdul Ghani A Kadir, 41, was found dead, believed to have drowned, at 11.15 am on Wednesday.
Kinabatangan District Police Chief Superintendent D Ravi said they received a report regarding the incident involving the man who was traveling from Tawau to Kota Kinabalu.
"The victim, who worked as a graphic designer, skidded off the road with his wife at the Kampung Batu Puteh bridge while on their way to Kota Kinabalu. After the car skidded, the victim suddenly exited the vehicle and jumped into the river, but there was no quarrel," he said when contacted on Thursday.
Following the report, a police team from the Kinabatangan District Police Headquarters (IPD) was deployed to the scene along with other agencies, including the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (JBPM), the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) and villagers to carry out a search and rescue (SAR) operation.
“As a result of the search, at 11.15am on Wednesday, the victim’s body was found five meters from the location where he was reported missing. The body was sent to the Forensic Department of Kinabatangan Hospital for a post-mortem.
“Initial investigations found no criminal elements in this case and it has been classified as sudden death pending the full post-mortem report,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kinabatangan Fire and Rescue Station Chief Hairi Otuh said they received a call regarding the incident at 5.03pm on Tuesday and nine personnel rushed to the scene, about 23 kilometers away.
"According to the caller, a road accident took place and the victim jumped into the river. Upon arrival, the rescue team confirmed that there was indeed a victim feared drowned. Based on the chronology, there was a female driver and a male passenger.
"It was alleged that while the vehicle was moving, the male passenger suddenly experienced hysteria, grabbed and turned the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to lose control and skid off the road.
"Following the accident, the victim reportedly exited the vehicle and jumped into the river. A SAR operation was then launched in the area where the victim was believed to have jumped before he was later found dead,” he said.
Earlier, it went viral on social media that the couple had only recently married on Sept 16 and had even updated their wedding photo on their Facebook profile.
However, Andi was eventually found dead after being reported missing in the river.
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