Fisherman regrets not stopping Norshamira from meeting her killer at dark jetty

KUANTAN: A fisherman expressed deep regret for not intervening when Norshamira Zainal, 37, headed towards a secluded area to deliver goods to a man, ultimately leading to her murder near the Tanjung Lumpur Bridge on Wednesday (Feb 12) night.

The 40-year-old fisherman, identified only as Mohamad, said he and a friend were at a nearby stall when they noticed the victim leaving her car and walking towards the end of a jetty around 8pm.

Mohamad and his friend advised the victim against going further, as the area was dark and rarely used by locals at night, but the victim proceeded after spotting the suspect calling her over.

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“I assumed the victim knew the suspect well, so I didn’t stop her or ask any more questions. She didn’t ask for company either,” he told reporters when met at the crime scene on Sunday (Feb 16).

Mohamad said that had he known the person she was meeting, he would have either stopped her or accompanied her, as the suspect was known to be problematic within the community.

Another fisherman, 50-year-old Jailani said most fishermen in the area recognised the suspect, who had previously lived in the neighbourhood.

“He returned just two or three days before the incident and had been loitering around. We never imagined he would do something like this,” he said.

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Kuantan OCPD Asst Comm Wan Mohd Zahari Wan Busu confirmed that the police brought the main suspect, dressed in a police lockup uniform, to the crime scene at around 2.30pm on Sunday to assist with the investigation and evidence gathering.

The suspect, a 53-year-old man, was arrested at 5.30 am yesterday at the Wakaf Tembesu Gong Badak residential area in Kuala Terengganu, with police also seizing a ring, cash, clothing and documents as part of their investigation.

The suspect has been remanded for a week to assist in the investigation into the murder of 37-year-old Norshamira Zainal, whose body was found by the river near the Tanjung Lumpur Bridge on Thursday.- Bernama