KOTA KINABALU: Zara Qairina Mahathir was last seen crying and strongly denying that she was a thief shortly before she died, the Coroner's Court heard.
The eighth witness in the inquiry into the Form 1 student's death, Azhari Abd Sagap, 31, who is also the head warden of the hostel where the 13-year-old boarded was confronted by several peers and seniors from a neighbouring dormitory on the night of July 15, after allegations of things going missing surfaced.
He said written confessions taken during the hostel's internal inquiry revealed some students searched Zara Qairina's locker and bag where a pin of the Malaysian flag belonging to her dormitory leader was found.
"They confronted her and asked her to swear that she did not steal. She did, but some harsh words were said by her dorm leader," Azhari told the court.
He said that Zara Qairina denied the accusations and she cried and shouted: "I did not steal!" as she left the room.
"That was the last time she was seen by her peers. After that, she was found unconscious at the hostel compound," he added.
Azhari, who also teaches Arabic language at the school, said he compiled the written accounts of five students involved and submitted them to the authorities as part of the inquiry.
