04/04/2026

SATURDAY | APR 4, 2026 5 Mother among four charged over murder of child TAIPING: Four family members were charged in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday with the murder of an eight-year-old girl last week. M. Savathri, 28, the biological mother of the deceased, her husband M. Satis Kumar, 27, who is the victim’s stepfather, S.C. Veeraletchumy, 53, and M. Murali, 49, nodded after the charges were read out separately before Magistrate R. Prabakaran. No plea was recorded from any of the accused, as murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court. According to the charge, they are jointly accused of causing the death of the child, Thanavitha, at a house in Taman Sungai Mas in the Larut, Matang and Selama district on the morning of March 26. The charge, framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34, carries the death penalty, or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years if not sentenced to death, and not fewer than 12 strokes of the cane upon conviction. DPP Farihah Adilah Faizal conducted the prosecution. All the accused were unrepresented, while lawyers M. Dinesh, G. Devaneson and Low Tze Ken held a watching brief for the victim’s family. Family members who had cared for the child since she was six months old, before she was returned to her biological mother, were also present in court. The court set May 15 for mention pending DNA, forensic and autopsy reports. – Bernama Passenger falls on tracks, LRT services halted PETALING JAYA: A passenger reportedly fell onto the Abdullah Hukum LRT train tracks yesterday, resulting in a disruption of services between three stations. According to a statement by Rapid Rail, the incident occurred at 6.09pm. A Threads post claims that there were no casualties in the incident. Videos circulating on social media show the passenger dangerously close to an approaching LRT train. As a precautionary measure, the power supply at the station was switched off to allow rescue operations involving the Fire and Rescue Department, police and paramedics. Following the incident, train services between the Universiti, Kerinchi and Abdullah Hukum stations were suspended until the rescue operation was completed. Alternative transport services, including feeder buses, were activated to ease the journeys of commuters. Train services later resumed, with Rapid Rail informing commuters that waiting times may be slightly longer as the frequency of trains between stations were being regulated.

DOE officials claim trial over graft charges linked to e-waste

is concluded. The case will be heard again on May 19. She is also scheduled to appear in the Shah Alam court on Monday next week to face an additional charge. On Thursday, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the prosecution was proceeded after obtaining consent from the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the public prosecutor. He added that the case is linked to the agency’s investigation into alleged corruption involving e-waste management. Azam said the question of the department’s leadership will now be left to the chief secretary to the government, adding that a new DOE director-general is expected to be appointed following the court charges.

transferred online to a Maybank Islamic account belonging to her child in several transactions between April 18, 2022 and July 19, 2024. The six sums listed in the charges were RM1,000, RM1,000, RM2,000, RM2,000, RM5,000 and RM10,000. At the material time, she was described in the charges as deputy director-general (Development) and deputy director-general (Operations). The charges were brought under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which prohibits civil servants from receiving valuable items from parties connected to their official duties without adequate consideration. The offence carries a jail term of up to two years or a fine, or both, upon conviction. Azura allowed bail of RM25,000 in one surety and ordered Norhazni to surrender her passport until the case

o Director-general, deputy accused of receiving RM100,000 and RM21,000 respectively

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

years’ imprisonment and a fine of not less than five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher. Suzana allowed bail of RM40,000 in one surety and ordered Wan Abdul Latiff to surrender his passport until disposal of the case. The court then set May 7 for next mention. Norhazni faces six charges over allegedly receiving payments totalling RM21,000. She is accused of receiving the amount from E-Concern (Borneo) Sdn Bhd director Tang Siong Hee, a person said to have official dealings connected to her duties. The money was allegedly

KUALA LUMPUR: Two top officers of the Department of Environment (DOE) yesterday pleaded not guilty in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to separate corruption charges linked to a high-profile electronic waste (e-waste) probe. DOE director-general Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar, 59, claimed trial before Judge Suzana Hussin while deputy director-general Dr Norhazni Mat Sari, also 59, pleaded not guilty before Judge Azura Alwi in a separate courtroom. Wan Abdul Latiff was charged with allegedly receiving RM100,000 in cash as gratification. The money was allegedly given for him to consider an appeal for exemption from preparing an environmental impact assessment report. The appeal was linked to a planning permission application for the proposed Bukit Kukus twin road project and mitigation earthworks on government land at Jalan Bukit Kukus, Mukim 13, North East district, Paya Terubong, Penang. According to the charge, he allegedly received the money from Sunrich Conquest Sdn Bhd director Khor Chong Hai through the company’s project manager Lee Ham Kong at the director-general’s office in Wisma Sumber Asli, Putrajaya on Jan 15 last year. The application was said to have been submitted by Geo Valley Sdn Bhd through a letter dated Nov 22, 2024. The charge was framed under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act. If convicted, he faces up to 20

Wan Abdul Latiff and Norhazni arriving separately to face corruption charges at the Kuala Lumpur court complex yesterday. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

Confrontation cited as key trigger in death of teenager KOTA KINABALU: A consultant forensic psychiatrist told the Coroner’s Court that a confrontation between Zara Qairina Mahathir and her senior in a dormitory acted as a triggering and precipitating factor the night before the teenager was found unconscious at the school hostel on July 16. room, I believed that she was devoid of her usual coping mechanisms,” he told inquest conducting officer deputy public prosecutor Mohd Fairuz Johari, before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan on Thursday. During that particular night after the confrontation, for various reasons, her peers did not come forward to console her. That would have been a significant psychological impact on her,”he said. Replying to whether the reviewing the statement. He added that the student was not among the 40 witnesses interviewed to complete the psychological autopsy report.

Chua said his presence in the proceedings was solely to assist the court, with his findings based on professional expertise, while the final decision rests with the court. He added that this included findings regarding the manner of death. Zara Qairina, 13, died on July 17 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she had been admitted a day earlier after being found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel at 4am. The Attorney-General’s Chambers ordered her remains to be exhumed for an autopsy on Aug 8 before announcing a formal inquest into her death on Aug 13. The inquest will resume on April 13. – Bernama

confrontation was the sole factor behind the incident, Chua said he did not believe a single factor caused it, but confirmed the confrontation was clearly the triggering and precipitating factor. When asked to read the 65th child witness statement, he said it strengthened his findings and conclusions in the psychological autopsy on the manner of Zara Qairina’s death. “I maintain my conclusion. In fact, it strengthens the conclusion. The information from the 65th child witness brings us closer and provides more details of the deceased’s mental state leading to the incident,” he said after

He said based on the reconstruction of the alleged incident, during which the deceased was confronted in the left corner of the dormitory, multiple witnesses confirmed that during the episode and immediately afterwards, as she returned to her room, she was visibly distressed, crying and shouting in denial. “Her peers described that it was unusual for her to do that. One of the witnesses described that she appeared the saddest on that particular night. “In terms of a sense of isolation, the risk factor has to be understood in the context of the deceased. “The deceased is someone who cherished interaction with her peers.

Hospital Mesra Bukit Padang, Kota Kinabalu forensic psychiatrist Dr Chua Sze Hung, 43, said the Form One student of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar appeared to have been deprived of her usual coping mechanisms on the night of the incident. The 67th witness in the inquest said the teenager typically relied on seeking support and interaction with peers, writing in a diary and to some extent, engaging in non-suicidal self-injury as coping strategies. “On the night of the incident, after the confrontation in the dormitory