JITRA, Oct 17 — The children of Sabari Baharom, a retired Felcra financial officer murdered and disposed of in the Padang Terap River last month, are still hopeful that his body will be found.
Suraiya Izzati, 29, expressed that locating her father’s remains would aid in the prosecution of the case concerning the elderly victim.
“Every day, we pray for my father’s body to be discovered so that the proceedings can be smoother,” she told reporters outside the Magistrate’s Court today.
She further remarked that her father’s tragic case should serve as a cautionary tale to discourage others from committing crimes without thought.
“The country has laws; one cannot act with impunity. Today was the first time I encountered the suspects; I cannot believe they could treat my father in such a manner,” she said.
Suraiya Izzati stated her intention to attend the trial from beginning to end, hoping that both suspects receive a fitting punishment for their actions.
Earlier, contractor Mazuan Hanafi, 38, and his nephew Muhd Asyraf Idris, 26, appeared in the Magistrate’s Court, charged with the murder of Sabari.
The duo faces charges of jointly causing the death of Sabari, 62, at the bridge in Kampung Empa, Padang Terap, Kubang Pasu, on September 4 at approximately 5:30am.
They have been charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which mandates a death sentence or a maximum of 40 years in prison, along with a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane.
Previous reports indicated that Sabari, who lived alone in Kampung Mengkuang Tengah in Kuala Pegang, Baling, had been missing since 4 September. His Proton Waja vehicle was discovered burned in Belantik, Sik, on September 20.
Police later confirmed that Sabari had been thrown into the Padang Terap River, bound and gagged, following the arrest of the two suspects.
Search operations in the river area lasted for three days but resulted in no discoveries before being suspended on October 3. — Bernama
