Police have dismissed reports that the body found in a Pekan oil palm estate, purportedly belonging to a missing 11-year-old girl, was missing parts and organs.
Pahang police chief Mohd Zakaria Ahmad told Malaysiakini that the body found by locals was intact, pending confirmation from the post-mortem.
He added that police have yet to ascertain whether the remains belong to Siti Masyitah Ibrahim, who was reported missing last month.
Earlier, Harian Metro reported the missing girl’s mother Zaleha Abdullah as saying that her daughter’s body was found decapitated, with bound hands and missing organs.
Zaleha told the daily that she recognised the blue shirt found on the body, which she said was similar to clothing worn by Siti Masyitah before going missing.
However, Zakaria denied that the body of the child in the estate was bound and missing organs.
“Hands tied? That’s not true. The body was also intact.
“We are now awaiting the results of the post-mortem and to ascertain the identity of the victim through DNA tests,” he said.
Zakaria added that police began their search for the missing 11-year-old after receiving a report.
Harian Metro reported that the girl was last seen on Jan 30, when she asked her mother for RM1 before heading to a nearby store.
Siti Masyitah, the third of four siblings, was described as jovial.
“She said she would return home early. That was the last time I saw her,” Zaleha was quoted as saying.
When her daughter failed to return home, she lodged a report at the Pekan police station the same day.
“With the help of villagers, we mounted a search around the village every day for the past eleven days.
“I prayed for her return… It broke my heart to see her mutilated body yesterday (Saturday). Who is the heartless person who did this to my child?
The New Straits Times (NST) reported that Zaleha, 35, and Ibrahim Ali, 39, were informed of the discovery of the body at 5pm on Saturday (Feb 9), and they rushed to the scene to identify their missing daughter Siti Masyitah.
“Why did they kill my daughter?
“What did she do to deserve such cruelty? What was her sin?”
According to the NST, villager Mohd Rosli Mat Rasat, 38, said he was among the first to arrive at the place after being told by a friend that Siti Masyitah’s body had been discovered.
“(Over the past 11 days), we looked for her all over the village, as well as at the place where she was found.
“I suspect she was killed elsewhere and dumped in the oil palm plantation,” he said, adding that nothing like this had ever happened in the village.
Meanwhile, Bernama reports that the police have arrested a man in the 20s to assist with investigations into the discovery of the girl’s body.
Pekan District police chief Amran Sidek, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspect was believed to be the last individual seen with the victim.
He, however, declined to elaborate on the arrest until a post-mortem report is received from the Forensics Unit at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) in Kuantan.
“So far, I can only confirm the suspect has been remanded for 14 days, under the Immigration Act,” he said.
Earlier, State Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Othman Nayan said a post-mortem on the body would shed light on allegations that the deceased could have been a victim of an organ-trafficking syndicate.
“The body was found not far from an oil palm plantation and about 200m from the Pekan-Paloh Hinai main road. The area where the body was found is surrounded by bushes and is secluded.
“The body was found lying face down,” he said.