Security guard heard complaint from student the day before girl’s death
KOTA KINABALU: The late Zara Qairina Mahathir, 13, was accused of stealing money the day before she was found unconscious on the ground floor of a three-storey dormitory building at her school in Papar on July 16.
Security guard Linah Mansoding @ Jaliha, 65, said that at about 8pm on July 15, a student complained of losing her bank card and RM300 in cash.
Linah said the student claimed Zara stole the money and that the matter was reported to other Form Four students who were dormitory monitors.
“After the complaint, the Form Four student called to meet Zara, but I am not sure what happened after that. She may have been taken to attend a meeting of MA,” she said.
The term “MA”, as mentioned in Linah’s witness statement, refers to a meeting between senior and junior students in the dormitory that was supposedly intended to reprimand students for disciplinary issues.
However, she said the MA system was stopped in 2017, as it was used by seniors to pressure junior students.
Linah, who is the sixth witness, disclosed this during the inquest into the death of Zara at the Coroner’s Court presided over by Sessions Court judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan yesterday.
Linah said the alleged incident was also reported to the warden, who called the dormitory monitors to ascertain what had happened.
However, she said she was unaware if any follow-up action was taken.
“During my time in this dormitory, I only know of three ‘MA’ sessions that have occurred, including during the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) period.
“Any problem should be reported to the teacher, but in this case, senior students took it upon themselves to call their juniors. That is why ‘MA’ was banned,” she added.
Earlier in her testimony, she told the court that she found Zara Qairina “inhaling and exhaling loudly as if she was snoring” when she saw her on the ground floor of the dormitory.
Linah was responding to questions posed by Zara’s family lawyer, Shahlan Jufri.
She said she tried to rouse the girl by calling her name and holding her.
“She seemed to be sleeping, snoring ... she was lying on her back. I felt sorry for her,” Linah replied when asked about Zara’s condition when she found her.
Linah said Zara was lying on her back in the drain and was not wearing shoes or a headscarf.
They subsequently called the dormitory head, Azhari Sagap.
Three senior students moved Zara to the front of the warden’s house and waited for an ambulance that arrived about an hour later.
