Housemate among suspects in Cyberjaya student murder case

SHAH ALAM: One of the three female suspects detained in the murder of a 20-year-old Maniishapriet Kaur Akhara, in Cyberjaya, was the victim’s housemate, says Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan.

The Selangor police chief said the initial investigation revealed that the housemate had given the 20-year-old main suspect, who is her boyfriend, an access card and keys to the hostel unit before the murder.

“The main suspect had apparently stayed overnight previously.

“On the night of the incident, the suspect was given the access card and keys as he wanted to stay there again, while the girlfriend had gone back to her hometown.

“However, he had ill intentions towards the victim that led him to hit her using an object and eventually murder her,” he told a press conference at the Selangor police headquarters on Tuesday (July 1).

The pathology report did not indicate any signs of rape, he added.

“We are still investigating further to find any proof of sexual assault.

“We are also investigating the motive behind the murder,” he said.

Comm Hussein said the main suspect stole several of the victim’s belongings, including her ATM card, laptop and mobile phone.

“We discovered that he had withdrawn RM200 using her ATM card,” he added.

He said the police would complete the investigation paper soon and refer it to the deputy public prosecutor.

It was reported that a man and three women, aged 19 and 20, were apprehended in Johor Bahru, Johor, and Gemencheh, Negri Sembilan, on Thursday (June 26) and early Friday (June 27) morning in connection with the murder.

They were nabbed within 48 hours of the police report lodged on the incident.

It was previously reported that the victim, a Bachelor of Physiotherapy student, was found dead in a student’s hostel in Cyberjaya.

The victim, who was from Kuching, Sarawak, was discovered unconscious with visible injuries on her body by her friend at about 10am on Tuesday (June 24). The friend then immediately alerted the police.

She was living with five other students, but they had returned home for the holidays on June 21, leaving her alone at the hostel, as she was scheduled to take an upcoming examination.

The victim’s ATM card was among several valuables reported missing from the scene, including a laptop, mobile phone, and cash.

A post-mortem revealed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.