KOTA KINABALU, Oct 9 – The 16th deponent (eighth child witness) in the Zara Qairina Mahathir’s death inquest told the Coroner Court on Wednesday that the deceased’s locker was the only one that could not be locked in the dormitory.
She also informed that Zara kept a diary at school and would often write in it in the dormitory during the evenings and at night.
Counsel Syarulnizam Mohd Salleh who is representing Zara’s mother, told reporters that the witness informed that she did not know how many diaries Zara had and had never read any of them.
She also allleged that prior to the night of the incident, the witness was unsure whether Zara had any conflicts with other students, reporters were told.
“Zara had never confided in the witness about personal problems,” said Syarulnizam.
He added that the witness informed that on 15 July 2025, she saw Zara going to the next dormitory and later learned that she had been called to meet some students from another dorm regarding missing belongings.
She also said that all dorm members (except Zara) were present during the spot check of Zara’s locker and bag, but only a few students were involved in carrying it out.
“The witness was not one of those involved,” the counsel said.
“The witness explained that the spot check involved inspecting Zara’s locker and bag to look for the missing items. The process took about 15 minutes, and Zara’s belongings were said to be in disarray afterwards.
After the spot check, the witness said they only found a senior student’s flag badge in Zara’s bag that night.”
The witness claimed that when Zara returned from the other dormitory, she was crying and shouting, repeatedly denying the accusation, saying: “I didn’t steal, damn it.”
“The witness said that while Zara was crying, no dorm members went to comfort or console her because one of the students said, “Let her be for now, let her calm down first.”
The witness described Zara as appearing emotionally distressed, and confirmed that her emotional state seemed disturbed after meeting the students from the other dormitory,” said the counsel.
Meanwhile, the 18th deponent (ninth child witness) told the Coroner Court that she knew Zara as a schoolmate.
“She said that on the night of the incident, Zara was called by several students to meet with students from the dormitory next to hers regarding the loss of another student’s bank card. The witness stated that the student who had lost the card suspected Zara,” informed Syarulnizam.
The witness also claimed that while Zara was in the other dormitory, some students carried out a spot check of her locker and bag.
“The spot check took place in the witness’s dorm because another student had also lost some money. The witness said that several students searched Zara’s belongings and found one or two flag badges,” said Syarulnizam.
The witness added that at about 11.00 pm the witness saw Zara return to her dormitory looking upset.
“Zara closed her locker and lay down on the floor in front of her cupboard, crying. She was shouting and denying the accusation of theft in a state of emotional distress.
“The witness also shared that during the fasting month, she, one of her friends, and Zara herself had previously lost some money, and a spot check had also been conducted at that time,” he said. – The Borneo Post
