KUALA LUMPUR: Three people have been detained over the murder of a 20-year-old university student in a case that has stunned Malaysians.
It is believed that the suspects, aged 19 and 20, knew Maniishapriet Kaur Akhara, who was found dead in a students’ accommodation in Cyberjaya on Thursday.
Sepang OCPD Asst Comm Norhizam Bahaman said a man and two women were arrested in Johor Baru, Johor, and Gemencheh, Negri Sembilan.
“They were detained within 48 hours of a police report lodged on the case,” he said when contacted.
The suspects have been remanded for seven days until July 3.
As of Thursday, a total of 14 people have had their statements recorded, including the deceased’s roommates and a lecturer.
Maniishapriet, a physiotherapy student from Kuching, was staying with five other students but they had returned home for the holidays.
She was thus alone at the hostel as she was preparing for an upcoming examination.
A post-mortem revealed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
Her ATM card, a laptop, mobile phone and cash were among the belongings found missing.
Police have detected five or six “suspicious” bank transactions made in the Klang Valley shortly after she was found dead.
The Higher Education Ministry, in a statement on Thursday, said that all public and private higher education institutes must abide by the SOP on security and student welfare.
Compliance is imperative to ensure protection for all students under their responsibility, it said.
Messages of condolences and grief have flooded social media, posted by ordinary Malaysians as well as political leaders.
Some of the postings called for “Justice for Maniisha”.
