Nagaenthran to be buried in Buntong on April 29, says family

IPOH: The remains of Malaysian Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam will be laid to rest at the Hindu cemetery in Buntong here on Friday (April 29).

Nagaenthran was executed at the Changi Prison in Singapore on Wednesday (April 27) morning - eleven years after being on death row there after being sentenced for drug-related crimes.

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His sister, 36-year-old Sarmila Dharmalingam, said his remains will be buried between 2pm and 4pm on Friday after a prayer session at their house.

"We accept his demise with a heavy heart. Thank you to everyone who prayed for him in Singapore and Malaysia as well as on social media until now,” she said when met by reporters at her home in Tanjung Rambutan here on Wednesday night.

ALSO READ: We accept Nagaenthran 's sentence with a heavy heart, says sister

There was a somber mood at the home and family and friends who were present could not hold back their emotions as the coffin with his remains arrived from Singapore shortly after midnight.

A banner with Nagaenthran's face on it could also be seen with the message, "RIP In loving memory We miss you Boy Anne".

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Nagaenthran's remains were taken to Johor Baru via a van from Singapore at about 8.30pm Wednesday and from Johor Baru to Ipoh by hearse.

The hearse was initially supposed to have arrived at the house before midnight but was delayed due to traffic and heavy rains in Johor Baru.

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Also seen waiting at the home here was Nagaenthran's mother, Panchalai Supermaniam, 60, who looked sad and forlorn and refused to be interviewed by reporters.

On Tuesday (April 26), the Singapore Court of Appeal dismissed a last-ditch legal challenge filed by Nagaenthran’s mother to set aside her son's conviction and death sentence.

ALSO READ: Last-ditch bid to save Nagaenthran from gallows fails

Hailing from Perak, Nagaenthran, the second of four siblings, was sentenced to death in 2010 for trafficking 42.72g of heroin into Singapore in 2009.

On Nov 7, 2021, it was reported that Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had written to his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong seeking leniency in this case.

Meanwhile, on Dec 3, Singapore President Halimah Yacob said he had been accorded full due process under the law.

ALSO READ: About 100 people attend Nagaenthran's wake in Singapore

Nagaenthran’s lawyers claim that he was intellectually disabled, with an IQ of 69.

He was supposed to have been hanged on Nov 10, 2021, but found temporary respite on Nov 9 after the court was told that he had tested positive for Covid-19 when he appeared for a last-bid attempt against his death sentence. - Bernama