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THE Bukit Aman Department of Integrity and Standards Compliance (JIPS) has launched an internal investigation into the conduct of the officer handling the case of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir, who died following a suspected fall from her school dormitory in Sabah.
“We are investigating a breach of protocol in the handling of the investigation into Zara Qairina’s death,” confirmed JIPS Director Datuk Hamzah Ahmad on Thursday.
When asked whether the probe would extend to the district’s Criminal Investigation Department chief and the district police chief, Hamzah said the matter remains under review.
The inquiry follows revelations by Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Department Director, Commissioner Datuk M. Kumar, that the investigating officer failed to request a post-mortem at the time of the incident, in direct contravention of standard operating procedures.
“Despite an agreement with the victim’s mother, and signatures from the pathologist and investigating officer waiving the post-mortem, the officer should have insisted on one due to the suspicious nature of the death,” Kumar said.
“Under the law, the investigating officer has the authority to override the family's objection in such cases.”
Zara was found unconscious in a drain near her hostel at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha, Papar, at around 4am on 16 July. She was pronounced dead the following day at Hospital Queen Elizabeth I in Kota Kinabalu.
Following pressure from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), Zara’s body was exhumed on 9 August to allow for a belated autopsy. The AGC had insisted on further police investigation to ensure a comprehensive review of the circumstances surrounding her death.
Meanwhile, initial findings from the post-mortem confirmed that Zara died of traumatic brain injuries consistent with a fall, in line with the hospital’s original diagnosis of severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy — a condition where the brain is deprived of oxygen or blood flow.
Kumar said the results had been fully explained to Zara’s family and their legal representatives.
He added that the internal police investigation would not be limited to procedural matters. The police are also probing possible criminal elements after witnesses alleged bullying prior to the incident.
“There were statements claiming that bullying had occurred before the incident,” Kumar said. “Although there were previously no dedicated legal provisions for bullying, amendments to the Penal Code now allow such conduct to be treated as a criminal offence.”
The Penal Code (Amendment) Act 2025 was gazetted on 7 March, following royal assent on 25 February. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said has since stated that bullying, harassment, and online abuse are now criminal offences under the revised law.
Meanwhile, mental health interventions have begun at Zara’s school, with 124 students receiving psychological and psychiatric support in the wake of her death.
Separately, a 39-year-old woman was arrested in Rawang last week for allegedly spreading false claims that Zara had been placed in a washing machine — a fabrication that went viral online.
“The suspect is being investigated under the Sedition Act and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act,” said Kumar.
In total, 15 investigation papers have been opened regarding the dissemination of fake news related to the case.
“We must take firm action. Fake news can compromise public order and disrupt our investigations,” Kumar said.
The inquest into Zara’s death, announced by the AGC, will run concurrently with police investigations. A meeting between the AGC and police is expected in the coming week to coordinate proceedings. - August 14, 2025
