Magistrate’s Court grants exhumation order for 13-year-old Zara Qairina’s grave in Sipitang

PAPAR, Aug 9 — The Magistrate’s Court here on Saturday granted an application for an exhumation order for Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir.

Lawyers Hamid Ismail and Shahlan Jufri said Magistrate Zuraini Ali Musa allowed the application following a request by the Investigating Officer.

Hamid said the exhumation in Sipitang will be witnessed by Zara’s mother, Magistrate Wan Farrah Farizza Wan Ghazali, the State Prosecution Director, two Deputy Public Prosecutors, a forensic expert from Queen Elizabeth Hospital, police, and Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department officers.

Zara was laid to rest at Tanjung Hubi Cemetery in Mesapol, Sipitang.

It was reported on Friday that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has instructed the police to exhume the body of Zara Qairina to facilitate a post-mortem examination.

In a statement, the AGC said it had reviewed the full preliminary investigation report on her death and issued several directives, including the exhumation, to help gather additional information and evidence.

Zara Qairina, 13, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital here on July 17, a day after being found unconscious and critically injured in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar. — Daily Express