SEREMBAN: The remains of two young siblings who drowned after the car they were in plunged into Sg Linggi in Port Dickson will be buried according to Islamic rites.
State police chief Dep Comm Datuk Alzafny Ahmad said the Syariah High Court here ruled today (Sept 9) that both victims were Muslims and as such would receive a Muslim burial.
"The burials will be managed by the state Islamic Affairs Department, and the victims will be laid to rest at the Maqbarah Salimah Muslim burial ground in Port Dickson," he said in a statement.
DCP Alzafny said the family's next-of-kin had authorised the state Islamic Affairs Department to claim the victims' remains from the Port Dickson Hospital forensic unit.
In another statement, the department confirmed the Syariah High Court's ruling that both victims were Muslims at the time of their passing.
"The department would like to extend our appreciation to all parties concerned in this matter," it said.
The siblings, a girl aged eight and her six-year-old brother, were resting in the car with their 46-year-old father and a 41-year-old woman when the car suddenly rolled forward and plunged into the river in Tanjung Agas around 11.30 am on September 4.
Preliminary investigations indicated the man had exited the car to have a cigarette just before the tragedy occurred.
The engine had been turned off at the time.
Passers-by managed to pull the woman out in time, but the children were trapped inside.
The children's remains were found in the front passenger seat of the overturned vehicle at a depth of four metres.
Following the incident, police detained the couple to assist with investigations.
Checks later showed the victims did not have Muslim names on their identification documents, although their father claimed he had converted them in Kelantan.
Negri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Department director Mohd Asri Abdullah said checks with his counterparts in Kelantan found no records to support the father's claim.
There were also no records to suggest the children had been converted to Islam in Negri Sembilan.
Mohd Asri said the father was told to provide a written statement to the police to support his claim, and the victims' biological mother was also asked to make a police report.
On Monday (September 8), DCP Alzafny said police had recorded statements from 15 people, including the mother of the two siblings, in their probe into the case.
