KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — The shocking murder of 33-year-old Johor teacher Istiqomah Ahmad Rozi was confirmed on Monday when the police's D13 division and its DNA databank identified a headless body in Melaka as that of the woman who went missing eight months ago.
1. So how did the DNA databank help police identify the headless corpse in Melaka?
On December 27, 2023, Istiqomah's family lodged a police report on her disappearance in Johor. Her case was only known to be a murder about eight months later, thanks to DNA testing.
On December 31, 2023, the decapitated body of an unidentified woman – whose hands and feet was also cut off – stuffed into a garbage bin was found in a drain along the Alor Gajah–Tampin trunk road near Kampung Rimau, Pulau Sebang in Melaka.
On August 2, 2024, the police's D13 division took Istiqomah's mother's DNA sample, and this DNA sample matched the DNA sample from that of the headless body.
This led to the August 5, 2024 arrest of a couple in Perak and the police's interrogation of the duo led to the August 6 discovery of other parts of the victim's body (finger bones and head) six kilometres away from the body, and to the police’s August 12 confirmation that the body belonged to Istiqomah.
2. And what is D13 and the DNA databank?
D13 (Data Bank/ DNA) is one of 15 divisions under the police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Police officers in D13 can collect DNA samples for forensic investigations.
The other divisions have different functions such as D10 (forensics); or investigating different crimes such as D7 (secret societies, gambling and vice) and D11 (sexual, women and child investigation).
The DNA databank is also known as the Forensic DNA Databank Malaysia.
It keeps the DNA profiles or related information from forensic DNA analysis carried out by the police's forensic laboratory or by the Chemistry Department of Malaysia.
Under the DNA Identification Act 2009, the databank keeps DNA profiles for three main purposes:
- for human identification for forensic investigation
- to help in recovering or identifying human remains from a disaster or for humanitarian purposes
- to identify living or deceased persons
3. Who can the DNA samples be collected from? And where?
DNA samples can be collected from:
- a crime scene (victim's body, victim's clothing or item when offence was committed, anything at a crime scene)
- suspects (including those not yet charged in court)
- convicted persons
- prisoners
- detainee (arrested and detained under the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985)
- drug dependant
- unidentified deceased person's body or body parts / missing person's next of kin / missing person's clothing or item
- people who volunteer to submit their DNA profiles to DNA databank
4. How many DNA samples does the police have?
Malaysia is currently estimated to have a population of 34 million.
The police's DNA databank had 160,000 DNA profiles as of June 25, 2021, according to a June 2021 news report by national news agency Bernama.
This is an increase from around 70,000 DNA profiles as of 2017, and 100,000 DNA profiles as of October 2019, based on police data in news reports.
5. How many cases has the DNA databank helped crack?
In a March 28, 2023 report by local daily Harian Metro, the police said 40,556 cold cases were successfully prosecuted in 2016 to 2022 due to technological advancements.
In that same period, 461 cases were successfully prosecuted due to DNA testing.
The police had as of March 2023 matched 240 DNA profiles involving current and old criminal cases by using the DNA databank.
As of June 25, 2021, the police has solved 131 cases by matching DNA profiles using its DNA databank, national news agency Bernama had reported in June 2021.
Based on an April 2019 paper in Universiti Malaysia Terengganu's Journal of Sustainability Science and Management, there were 21 matches in DNA profiles in the police's DNA databank from 2016 to early 2018, including for housebreaking, rape, gang-robbery, murder crimes.
Some of these involved DNA matches of suspects or convicted persons with DNA from crime scenes.
6. What kind of cold cases were solved in Malaysia because of DNA testing?
DNA testing can help the police solve crimes, even if it happened 20 years ago. Here are some success stories:
- 12-year-old case: Rape of 15-year-old girl in Balik Pulau, Penang in 2010. A 40-year-old male suspect was identified via DNA test and nabbed in April 2022.
- 19-year-old case: Rape case in Bagan Serai, Perak in 2003. DNA profile data led to a 40-year-old male suspect's June 2022 arrest.
- 20-year-old case: Rape and robbery case in Cheras in 1999. Case solved and brought to court after DNA profile match in DNA databank in 2019
- 25-year-old case: Murder overseas in 1996. Malaysian police helped Interpol solve the case. A DNA sample from a drinks bottle at the crime scene matched the suspect's DNA profile in the Malaysian police's DNA databank in 2021, and was accepted as evidence in court abroad.
