15/03/2026

NATIONAL 5 theSun on Sunday MAR 15, 2026

RM2.6m cigarette smuggling ring busted KOTA BHARU: Police have dismantled a cigarette smuggling operation with seizures valued at an estimated RM2.6 million in two separate operations in Kuala Krai and Tanah Merah on Tuesday. Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said the first raid took place at about 9.30am when a task force stopped a lorry along Jalan Kuala Krai Gua Musang. “Upon inspecting the rear cargo area of the lorry, police found stacks of boxes wrapped in sacks believed to contain untaxed cigarettes of various brands,” he said in a statement. Police seized 300 boxes containing about 3,056,000 cigarettes, estimated to be worth RM2,688,432. The lorry driver, a man in his 50s, was detained to assist in investigations. In a separate operation at about 2pm in Tanah Merah, a team from the Kelantan Police Headquarters Criminal Investigation Department’s Special Investigation Branch raided a house and arrested another man. “Upon inspecting a store behind the house, police found two boxes of untaxed U2 brand cigarettes, with one box containing 50 cartons of cigarettes. Police also seized two mobile phones and SIM cards, bringing the total value of the seizures to about RM7,000,” he said. Mohd Yusoff said all seized items from both operations would be sent to the Department of Chemistry Malaysia for further analysis. The cases are being investigated under Section 135(1)(e) of the Customs Act 1967 for possessing and handling untaxed goods, and Section 135(1)(d) of the same Act for storing or concealing untaxed goods or items prohibited from import. – Bernama Man found dead with stab wounds KUALA LUMPUR: A 50-year-old man was found dead with stab wounds inside a shophouse unit in Petaling Jaya on Friday evening. Petaling Jaya police chief ACP Shamsudin Mamat said the victim was discovered by a man who found him lying unconscious and covered in blood before lodging a police report at 2.20pm. “Initial investigations indicate that the victim is believed to have died from a stab wound to the chest. A post-mortem will be conducted today to determine the exact cause of death,” he said in a statement. He added that the case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder. Police have urged members of the public with information about the incident to come forward to the nearest police station or contact the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters operations room at 03-7966 2222. In a separate case, an elderly woman lost more than RM2 million after allegedly falling victim to a non-existent stock investment scheme. Wangsa Maju police chief ACP Mohamad Lazim Ismail said police received a report from the 66-year-old victim at 11.16am yesterday. She claimed she had been deceived by an investment scheme linked to a company introduced by an agent in 2023. – Bernama

Suraya (second from right) and her daughter Sharliena Mohd Nashar with two sets of clothes in pink and yellow that Sharlinie once wore. – BERNAMAPIC

Mother still hopes to find missing daughter

Nearly two decades on, parent prays for reunion with her child who vanished in 2008.

“After receiving the call from my son, we rushed home and found that the house had already been razed, together with five vehicles,” she said. Wakaf Bharu Fire and Rescue Station chief Nasrin Ismail said the department received an emergency call at 9.56pm and dispatched 16 firefighters from the Wakaf Bharu station, assisted by personnel from the Tunjong station. “Upon arrival, we found that the fire had destroyed the house. The blaze was fully extinguished at 12.10am. “The fire spread quickly because the house was made of wood. The cause of the incident is still under investigation.” – Bernama However, she said her longing is somewhat eased by the close relationship she shares with her three other children, as well as the presence of her two grandsons aged four and two, who bring joy to her life. When asked about her current life, Suraya said she now works as a shop assistant at a food stall near her home to support the family. She also makes and sells banana chips on a small scale to supplement her income. Sharlinie’s disappearance in 2008 shocked the nation. The child was walking home with her sister Sharliena from a playground about 200m from their rented house in Taman Medan, Petaling Jaya, when she vanished. Although thousands of posters about her disappearance were distributed and numerous efforts were undertaken to locate her, no information on Sharlinie’s whereabouts has emerged to this day.

DUNGUN: Nearly two decades after Sharlinie Mohd Nashar went missing with no new developments in the case, her mother Suraya Ahmad, 46, continues to hope that her daughter will one day return to the family. Suraya said she prays every day and hopes to be reunited with her third child of four siblings, who disappeared at the age of four in Taman Medan, Petaling Jaya, Selangor on Jan 9, 2008. “I still hope to meet Nini (Sharlinie) again in a safe and healthy condition, and I believe she is still alive. Nini, who was born on Jan 30, 2004, is now 22 years old. “If we are destined to meet again one day, I believe I would still recognise her because her face closely resembles my second child, Sharliena, who is now 26,”

During the incident, Nurul Rizan and her husband, Zafri Abdullah, 47, were in Pasir Pekan in Tumpat and were alerted to the fire by their second child, Mohd Aizat Azmi, 27. Mohd Aizat, who was at home with two younger siblings – including 13-year-old Nur Alisa, who has Cornelia de Lange syndrome – injured his right foot after stepping on burning embers while escaping the house with them. Nurul Rizan said the fire also destroyed jewellery sets and engagement trays prepared for Mohd Aizat’s engagement ceremony scheduled to take place after Hari Raya Aidilfitri. she said when met at her home in Kampung Padang Pulut yesterday. Suraya, now a single mother after separating from her former husband Mohd Nashar Mat, 48, in 2018, admitted that her longing for Sharlinie becomes especially strong whenever Hari Raya Aidilfitri approaches. She said Sharlinie had always been cheerful during Aidilfitri and would be excited to show off the new clothes bought for her. “Since she disappeared, every Aidilfitri celebration feels incomplete,” she said, as reported by Bernama. For now, Suraya said she eases her longing by looking at photographs of her daughter and gently touching two sets of clothes in pink and yellow that Sharlinie once wore, which she still keeps.

Family loses home, 30 cats in village fire PASIR MAS: A family in Kampung Paloh Hilir near Tendong lost their home and ruined preparations for their son’s engagement in a fire that also killed 30 of their pet cats. Last night, we did not have time to save them,” she said when met at the village.

The blaze, which broke out at about 9.30pm after tarawih prayers on Thursday, destroyed the home of the family of eight along with two cars, three motorcycles and other valuables. Total losses are estimated at more than RM100,000. Homeowner Nurul Rizan Bujang, 48, said most of the family’s cats were inside the house when the fire started and could not be rescued as the flames spread rapidly. “My children really love cats, and these pets would gather inside the house at night.