08/07/2025

TUESDAY | JULY 8, 2025 5 All bodies discovered after boat capsizes SIBU: All six individuals who went missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Pantai Belawai in central Sarawak have been found drowned. The bodies of five men and a boy were discovered by search and rescue teams along with local villagers along the shoreline, the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department confirmed yesterday. “All the bodies have been found,“ the department said in an update. The incident occurred at around 2pm on Saturday when a fibreglass boat carrying 17 Indonesian nationals capsized while en route from the Kampung Belawai fishermen’s jetty to the Zion Pelita Coconut Plantation jetty. Among the 17 onboard, four men, two women and a boy survived, having been rescued on Saturday afternoon. They had departed from Kampung Belawai, a Malay village located about 22km from Sibu, after purchasing groceries and essential supplies. All were family members of plantation workers residing at the Zion Pelita Coconut Plantation. An initial investigation by the department revealed that the vessel was heavily loaded with other cargo when it overturned. By Saturday evening, the bodies of two women, a boy and a girl were recovered. – By JOSEPH PETER Woman denies rude posts about king SHAH ALAM: A housewife pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here yesterday to a charge of improper use of network facilities by knowingly making and initiating the transmission of offensive comments against His Majesty the King of Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim via Facebook, using the profile name Suhaila Halim. Suhaila Abd Halim, 39, is charged with committing the offence with intent to annoy others at the Sungai Buloh Hospital in Petaling district at 8.30am on Jan 5. The mother of six is charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which provides a maximum fine of RM50,000, up to one year’s prison or both, and may be fined a further RM1,000 for each day the offence continues after conviction. Judge Norazlin Othman granted the woman, who was unrepresented, bail at RM10,000 in one surety, and ordered her to report to a nearby police station once a month and not to disturb prosecution witnesses. The court set Sept 17 for mention for the submission of documents and the appointment of a lawyer. – Bernama Pakistani child molester still at large SHAH ALAM: A Pakistani man believed to be a suspect in four cases of sodomy and molestation, involving three children and a teenage boy in Section 27 and Section 28 here, is believed to still be in the country. Shah Alam police chief ACP Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim said efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the 25-year-old, who reportedly assaulted the victims in separate incidents between April and now. He said investigations revealed that the suspect would approach victims by asking them to pick up items or assist him with booking an e-hailing ride, then hug them from behind and choke them if they resisted, Bernama reported. “When the victims were distracted, he would punch and drag them to a location where he would allegedly attempt to commit sodomy.” The case is being probed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and Section 377C of the Penal Code.

Missing family of six found dead in submerged car

o Signs indicate they had attempted to escape but failed: Fire and Rescue chief

report, prompting a search effort that ended in tragedy. Nur Adliah Shuhada Ishak, in her 20s, said her brother Mohamad Azim, who lives in Jerlun, had come to spend the night at her house last Friday, along with his wife and their children. She said the family would often stay over and usually leave early in the morning before her brother, who works as a security guard, began his shift. Adliah noticed that the family had left her home on Sunday at around 5.30am and assumed that they had returned to Jerlun, where Azim and his family live with his in-laws. She added that her brother had five children but this time, the eldest daughter, aged 12, had stayed behind with her grandmother in Jerlun. “The night before, we chatted as usual. My brother and sister-in-law never mentioned having any problems. “At first, I thought they had returned to Jerlun, but later my brother’s mother-in-law called to inform me that they had not arrived. That is when I started to worry about their safety.”

by our team during the recovery process.” The victims were identified as Mohamad Azim Izat Ishak, 32, his wife Nurul Hidayah Khadijah Razman Efendi, 31, and their children Putra Rayyan Nur, nine, Hawa Adriana Nur, eight, Annayla Humaira Nur, seven, and six-month-old Tuah Haydar. The discovery followed a tip-off about a submerged vehicle matching the description of one linked to a family reported missing after a weekend visit to Taman Aman. A patrol unit later spotted the car about 1m from the edge of the river, which is roughly 6m deep and 7.6m wide. “All were confirmed dead at the scene and handed over to police for further investigation,” said Aminuddin. Rescue personnel had to break the rear windshield and cut open the vehicle to retrieve the bodies, which had bloated due to prolonged submersion. Authorities also found skid marks near the riverbank, indicating that the car may have veered off the road before plunging into the river. The case drew public attention after the driver’s sister lodged a missing persons

Ű BY THE SUN DAILY TEAM newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: A family of six reported missing after a weekend outing was found dead inside a submerged car in Sungai Korok, Kedah yesterday. Rescuers from the Kedah Fire and Rescue Department recovered the bodies of a man, his wife and their four children from a car that was discovered underwater near the riverbank, a local Malay daily reported. Zone One Fire and Rescue chief Ahmad Aminuddin Abd Rahim said the victims were found huddled at the back left side of the vehicle, indicating that they had attempted to escape but failed. “There were no signs of broken windows when we arrived. The glass was only shattered

Authorities found skid marks near the riverbank, indicating that the car may have veered off the road. – PIC COURTESY OF UTUSAN MALAYSIA

Retiree loses RM680,000 in phone scam GEORGE TOWN: An elderly retired bank manager has lost RM680,781 after falling victim to a phone scam syndicate posing as cybersecurity officers and police. Putrajaya”, who said his phone number had been blacklisted for allegedly spreading false information.

“The scammers also told him to place his ATM and credit cards, along with bank documents, into an envelope and leave it on a Tenaga Nasional Berhad electrical box near a bank in Tanjung Bungah.” On June 26, after checking his accounts, the victim discovered that all the money had been transferred to unknown third-party accounts. The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for fraud. – Bernama

The call was transferred to a supposed police officer from the Alor Setar police station, who claimed that the victim’s bank account was involved in money laundering. “To clear his name and avoid arrest, the victim was instructed to open two new bank accounts. Between June 19 and 23, he transferred money into those accounts.

Penang deputy police chief Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin said the 80-year-old lodged a report at the Northeast Commercial Crime Investigation Division after realising he had been scammed. On June 12, the victim received a call from someone claiming to be from “Cyber Security