KUALA LUMPUR – The post-mortem on Form One student, Zara Qairina Mahathir, will be carried out at the Forensic Department of Queen Elizabeth I Hospital (HQE) in Kota Kinabalu at 9am tomorrow.
Lawyer Hamid Ismail, representing Zara Qairina’s family, said the exhumation of her remains at the Tanjung Ubi Muslim Cemetery in Kampung Mesapol, Sipitang, was completed at 7.15am today.
“The remains will be taken to Queen Elizabeth I Hospital in Kota Kinabalu.
“The exhumation was conducted by the forensic team and witnessed by Zara Qairina’s mother, a magistrate, two deputy public prosecutors, lawyers, representatives from JHEAINS (Sabah), and the hospital’s forensic department,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported that members of the public had gathered at the site to witness the process but were not allowed to approach the burial area.
Yesterday, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) instructed the authorities to exhume Zara Qairina’s body to allow for a post-mortem to be carried out.
The move is aimed at enabling the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) to obtain further information and evidence needed to complete investigations into her death.
Media reports previously stated that Zara’s mother, Noraidah Lamat, 45, had requested her daughter’s grave be exhumed to seek answers and justice.
On Monday, the AGC confirmed receiving the preliminary investigation report on August 3 from its Sabah branch and on August 4 at its headquarters in Putrajaya. However, the AGC returned the report to the police to be completed.
The Form One student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Tun Datu Mustapha Limauan in Papar was reported to have fallen from the third floor of her hostel building and was found unconscious in a drain at about 4am on July 16.
She was pronounced dead after receiving treatment at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital in Kota Kinabalu. – August 9, 2025