KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 — The husband of Istiqomah Ahmad Rozi, whose dismembered and decapitated torso was found dumped in Melaka, today rejected rumours that the suspect in her murder was also her former boyfriend.

Mohd Yusof Mokhtar, 35, said he previously received confirmation from investigators that his wife and the man were only involved in business deals, earlier said to be some form of forex trading.

"The officer in Ayer Keroh told me, ‘don’t listen to others, I’m the one investigating the case,’” he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.

Mohd Yusof also speculated that his wife’s murder could have been a robbery gone awry.

"Perhaps when he asked for my wife's gold bracelet but couldn't get it, a struggle ensued. There were marks on my wife's hand.”

Istiqomah’s murder has gripped the nation after the teacher, who was reported missing from her home in Pasir Gudang at the end of last year, was confirmed today as the person whose headless and dismembered torso was found in a dumpster in Melaka around the same time she disappeared.

Alor Gajah district police chief Superintendent Ashari Abu Samah said the identification was the result of a positive DNA match with samples from Istiqomah’s family.

He also said the confirmation allowed investigators to move forward with the arrest of a couple in Chemor, Perak, yesterday on suspicion of Istiqomah’s murder.

The case is being investigated as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code and members of the public can provide information to investigators at the Alor Gajah District Police Headquarters (IPD) by calling 06-5562222.

News about the disappearance of Istiqomah, a teacher at a school in Kota Masai within Pasir Gudang, first emerged in June after her brother made an impassioned plea on social media for information on her whereabouts.

According to previous reports, she left her workplace on December 26 and was never seen again.