THE mother of a student A facing charges for insulting the late Zara Qairina Mahathir at the Children’s Court testified at the coronial inquest today, asserting that her daughter never suspected or accused Zara of stealing her belongings in the hostel.
Giving evidence as the 62nd witness, the woman told the court that any allegations suggesting her daughter’s suspicion of Zara were a “false accusation” (“fitnah”) or slanderous.
She said her daughter maintained that she “never suspected Zara of stealing and never accused her because they were close friends.”
She added: “And at that time, they were good friends. But Zara was surrounded by enemies who stabbed her in the back, that is my conclusion from what Student A told me.”
The testimony followed questions from Shahlan Jufri, representing Zara’s mother, regarding a “spot check” conducted on 14 July 2025 after a student reported missing money at the hostel.
The witness clarified that her daughter was not involved in the incident and never suspected anyone.
“She did not tell me because she is not the type to accuse,” she said.
She described her daughter’s prior police statements as “killer statements” that could not be casually denied.
Referring to a WhatsApp message sent by Zara’s mother, the witness explained that it was “forwarded” and not originally composed by her.
“The statement of my child, for me, is 'a killer' in this case, so I cannot casually deny it,” she said, adding that Zara had confided in her daughter multiple times about suicidal thoughts.
The mother stressed that she understood the intent of Zara’s mother’s message was simply to request a clarification or denial if her daughter’s account had been misrepresented.
She declined to take any action, insisting she fully understood the message and chose not to intervene. - February 3, 2026
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