KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — Police believe that former newsreader Zalina Azman might have gone missing even earlier, with investigations now focused on looking for the construction workers involved in renovating her house in Shah Alam.
Shah Alam district police chief Asst Comm Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim said Zalina’s mobile phone was turned off on Nov 20 last year.
He said based on this, police believed that Zalina, 58, might have disappeared earlier than Nov 29, the date that she was first reported missing.
“We wouldn’t have known that she had gone missing if her son hadn’t tried to contact her,” he told Bernama during a visit to Zalina’s house yesterday.
Also present was Bernama chairman Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi.
“Zalina may have gone missing earlier. We’ve checked and found that on Nov 20, her phone was turned off (no record of outgoing or incoming calls).
“Whether this was because the battery had run out, we are not sure,” he added.
According to ACP Mohd Iqbal, Zalina’s house was found to be messy because it was under renovation to be converted into a gallery.
He said police were also looking for the construction workers who were renovating her home.
“We have taken statements from six of her family members so far.
“We are now looking for workers who were involved in the renovation works on her house,” he said when contacted yesterday.
It was reported that police believed Zalina is in the country after checks with the Immigration Department showed that she had not gone overseas.
ACP Mohd Iqbal was also quoted as saying that police had received some information in connection with Zalina but there was nothing concrete yet.
On Monday, it was reported that Zalina, whose full name is Zalina Shaharah Azman, had been missing since November last year.
A police report was lodged by her son Mikhael Norman, 33, on Nov 29 last year.
She was reported missing after Mikhael failed to reach her since Nov 24 last year to inform her that her father was seeking treatment at a hospital.
