INSPECTOR-GENERAL of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain has revealed that the death of Mila Sharmila Samsusah, 32, which has captured headlines of late, was due to a fracture on the victim's head caused by a blunt object, and the motive for the alleged murder was jealousy and emotional hurt.
He said that this was determined following a comprehensive investigation by the police following the disappearance of Mila Sharmila, better known as Bella.
"The motive for Bella's murder was because of a case of jealousy and hurt,” he said at a press conference in Johor Bahru today.
“We began (investigations) from that motive and got the idea for our investigation. So, this was the motive that we got to know through the investigation," he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.
Bella was reported missing on the night of December 14 last year after going out to a laundromat with her boyfriend.
Also today, the boyfriend, Mohammad Haikal Mahfuz, 24, was charged at the Batu Pahat Magistrate's Court for murder.
The accused, a former postman, only nodded as soon as the charge was read out by the court interpreter in front of Magistrate Norasidah A Rahman.
No plea was recorded from the accused as the murder case is under the jurisdiction of the high court.
Based on the charge, Mohammad Haikal is accused of killing Bella between 11pm on December 14 and 5.30am on December 15 last year.
He was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder which provides for the death penalty or imprisonment not exceeding 40 years, if convicted. If the death penalty is not imposed, he can be subjected to 12 lashes, upon conviction.
The prosecution was overseen by Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Khalijah Khalid while Mohammad Haikal was represented by lawyer Syahril Anuar.
The court set February 19 for mention of the case pending the chemical report.
Bella, a single mother of two children, was reported missing on December 14 last year after family members failed to contact her.
They then lodged two police reports on December 16 and 18.
Her sister, Norisham, 36, reportedly said that she found it strange when she saw a wallet containing Bella’s identity card, her clothes that were meant for the laundry, and her house keys still at Bella's home.
Five suspects, including Bella's boyfriend, were initially detained for seven days from December 25 before being released on police bail.
The Johor police finally managed to locate a partial human skeleton in an abandoned house in Kampung Batu 7, Tongkang Pechah, on January 19.
Three suspects, including Mohammad Haikal, were remanded again on January 21 to assist in the investigation.
Yesterday, Batu Pahat district police chief Asst Comm Ismail Dollah confirmed that the results of the DNA test on the skeleton found it to be Bella's after the pathology sample matched the DNA samples taken from her sister and mother.
Meanwhile, asked about speculations that the victim was pregnant, Razarudin said this matter has not been confirmed and it is necessary to wait for the full autopsy report.
"This is because we only found a skeleton. The matter cannot be confirmed. Whether the victim was pregnant or not, that would be in the post-mortem. The results of the comprehensive autopsy report will determine that," he said. – The Vibes, January 24, 2024
