ALOR GAJAH: A 37-year-old man has been identified as the main suspect in the gruesome murder of a Johor primary school teacher who was reported missing last December.
The dismembered body of the woman was discovered in a rubbish bin along the Alor Gajah-Tampin road, near Kampung Rimau, Pulau Sebang, here on Dec 31 last year.
Alor Gajah OCPD Supt Ashari Abu Samah said the victim, identified as Istiqomah Ahmad Rozi (pic), 34, was reported missing on Dec 27, 2023.
He said the suspect, a former teacher, had known the victim since they were in college.
Supt Ashari said preliminary investigations showed that they had business dealings.
“However, the probe is ongoing to discover the actual motive behind the murder,” he said.
Supt Ashari said the suspect was remanded for seven days after a remand order was granted by the Magistrate’s Court here yesterday.
He added that the man is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
The victim, a teacher at SK Kota Masai 3 in Pasir Gudang, was a mother of three children, aged four to nine.
“A DNA test on Aug 2 on the victim’s mother matched before police detained two suspects,” said Supt Ashari.
A team from the Johor and Melaka police tracked down the suspects, who are husband and wife, before detaining them in Chemor, Perak, on Aug 4.
However, the 36-year-old female suspect was released on police bail yesterday.
One of the suspects led to the discovery of other parts of the victim’s body, about 6km from the site where the body was initially found inside a drain.
It was reported that the victim’s dismembered body was found in a bin dumped into a drain by the side of the road.
The body did not have any identification at the scene of discovery.
“Police only found the victim’s head, both arms and legs from knees down, believed to have been severed, along with a piece of red cloth under the body,” said Supt Ashari.
It is believed that the victim had been dead for several days before her body was discovered.
In Johor Baru, Istiqomah’s husband said he wants justice.
“My hope is to see a suitable punishment, if possible, hanging.
“I want justice for her because she should not have been treated like that. My wife was very loyal to me and she loved our three children very much,” said Mohd Yusof Mokhtar, 35, when met at his house in Taman Kota Masai yesterday.
Mohd Yusof, who works at a factory, added that his children understood that their mother was no longer around.
“My eldest daughter still misses Istiqomah and she now keeps things to herself.
“I told her that even if mama is not around, her grandparents and I will always be there for her and her siblings.
“She and her brother will sometimes call out for their mother and this breaks my heart. But I have to be strong for my children’s sake,” he added.
