A CHILD witness in the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir has testified that the deceased student was accused of theft shortly before she was found unconscious beneath her hostel building in the early hours of 16 July.
The sixth child witness, who is also the 14th to testify, described events on the night of 15 July, shortly before Zara was discovered. The witness said Zara entered her dormitory room at about 10.20 p.m. to meet with a group of senior students.
“The witness told the court that Zara was called in connection with two cases of missing wallets. The witness heard the theft being discussed, but the details were unclear,” the witness said.
According to the witness, four senior students, including two known to the witness, then entered the dormitory to confront Zara.
“The witness recalled hearing loud voices scolding Zara but was unable to identify who was speaking,” the witness said.
Lawyers representing Zara’s mother, including Shahlan Jufri and Rizwandean M Borhan, said the witness knew who reprimanded Zara but was reluctant to engage with the incident. The witness also stated that they had never seen Zara socialising or visiting that dormitory before.
The witness added that Zara left her dormitory in tears at around 11 p.m., marking the last time she was seen that evening.
The witness also said they had delivered a private letter from Zara to other dormitory members, some of whom also testified during the inquest.
Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan questioned the witness about the delivery of this letter to Zara’s fellow dormitory students.
During the proceedings, the legal teams presented three-dimensional and two-dimensional layout plans of the dormitory area to assist the witness’s testimony and enable the court to visualise the locations involved at the time of the incident.
It was also announced that the Coroner’s Court would adjourn from 1 to 6 October and resume on 7 October until the conclusion of the inquest. - September 29, 2025
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