KUALA LUMPUR: Police should be given space to complete their investigation into the death of student Zara Qairina Mahathir, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
He said the victim’s mother had handed over her mobile phone to the police for forensic investigation, and such cooperation reflected the family’s trust in the authorities.
“When the family places its trust, we should give the police space to carry out their duties and responsibilities based on that information,” he said after visiting the Sekolah Rendah Agama Al-Khawarizmi temporary evacuation centre, which houses victims of the recent Pantai Dalam fire here.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});Fahmi, who is also the Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai, said the Attorney General’s Chambers had also directed police to exhume Zara Qairina’s body for a post-mortem, and the Home Minister had said the process would be carried out promptly.
“So, we leave it to the authorities to handle this process properly and without delay. Insya-Allah, we hope the investigation papers can be completed soon so that the Deputy Public Prosecutor can make a decision that will hopefully bring those responsible to justice,” he said.
At the same time, he reminded the public not to practise vigilantism in response to unverified information on the case that has gone viral on social media.
Fahmi said such actions would only disrupt the investigation and could have legal implications.
“We must be careful. Don’t take matters into your own hands. Do not practise vigilantism to the point of becoming judge, jury and executioner.
“Now, the police can investigate bullying cases based on amendments to the Penal Code that define bullying as a criminal offence — whether physical, mental or online. This includes toxic behaviour such as revealing someone’s personal information with the intent to pressure or cause harm,” he said.
On content that had been blocked in relation to the case, Fahmi said he had not yet received information from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, but stressed that there had been excessive speculation, such as the claim that the victim had been put into a washing machine — which proved untrue and for which the person who spread it has apologised
Earlier, Fahmi attended the launch of the 2025 Federal Territory Child Protection Advocacy Programme at the Kerinchi Children’s Activity Centre, which aims to raise public awareness on issues of child abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Zara Qairina, 13, was pronounced dead at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital in Kota Kinabalu on July 17. She had been taken to the hospital after being found unconscious in a drain near the hostel of a religious school in Papar at 4 am on July 16.
