DNA samples collected from the third-floor corridor railings of the hostel block where Zara Qairina Mahathir was found unconscious were unsuitable for analysis due to their poor quality, the Coroner’s Court here heard on Tuesday.
Investigating Officer Inspector Wong Yew Zhung, the 83rd witness in the inquest, also testified that forensic officers were unable to recover fingerprints from the corridor’s iron grilles because of their rough and rusted surfaces.
Wong said he and a team from the D10 Forensics Division of the Sabah Police Headquarters, led by Inspector Mohamad Alif Mohd Razali, revisited the scene on July 23, 2025, for further forensic examination.
He said DNA swabs were collected from the third-floor corridor railings for comparison by the Chemistry Department, while fingerprint dusting techniques were also applied to the iron grilles.
The swab collection and fingerprint dusting were carried out at about 9.36am that day, with the samples submitted for analysis at about 10.45am on July 24, Wong said.
He was reading out his witness statement before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Wong said he received the DNA analysis report, bearing laboratory number 25-FR-S-04127 and prepared by a scientific officer at the Chemistry Department in Kota Kinabalu, on July 29, 2025.
In his witness statement, Wong also said Noraidah Lamat had repeatedly refused to allow a post-mortem to be conducted on her daughter’s remains, despite his explanation.
He said Noraidah maintained her refusal on two occasions when asked about the procedure.
“Noraidah answered, ‘Tidak mahu’ (I don’t want to), refusing to allow a post-mortem to be conducted on Zara’s remains.
“She also said, ‘Tidak mahu, saya mahu kebumikan dia dengan segera’ (I don’t want to; I want her to be buried immediately),” Wong said.
He also testified that while at the Neurology Ward, he had informed and explained to Noraidah that a post-mortem would be conducted on Zara’s remains to assist investigations into the case.
