Cyberjaya Student Murder: What Has Happened So Far
Two suspects are being charged with murder and abetment today at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex.
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Tragedy struck when 20-year-old Maniishapriet Kaur Akhara was found dead in her student hostel on the morning of 24 June.
The Bachelor of Physiotherapy student from Kuching, Sarawak, had been studying in a university in Cyberjaya and was living with five other students. Her body was discovered by one of her friends, who immediately alerted the policce at 10am that same morning.
Autopsy found several several injuries on her head. Sepang police chief Assistant Commissioner Norhizam Bahaman confirmed blunt force trauma as the cause of Maniishapriet’s death.
Norhizam also confirmed that the police found no evidence of the victim being sexually assaulted.
The murder suspects used her bank card to withdraw cash
A report by Berita Harian said the individual suspected of murdering the Cyberjaya student was detected making cash withdrawals using the victim’s ATM card.
Norhizam said police detected around five to six transactions made around the capital.
READ MORE: University Student Found Dead In Cyberjaya, Police Confirm It’s Murder
Three suspects were arrested for murder, one of them was the victim’s housemate
On 27 June, police arrested three suspects in connection with the murder. One of the suspects was Maniishapriet’s housemate, Malay Mail reported.
The housemate was believed to have given her boyfriend – who is the main suspect – an access card to the hostel in Cyberjaya before the killing took place.
Selangor police chief Commissioner Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said initial findings indicated the suspect had stayed at the accommodation before and was allowed to return on the night of the murder while his girlfriend (the housemate), was away in her hometown.
“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,” Hussein said.
“However, he had ill intentions towards the victim that led him to hit her using an object and eventually murder her,” he added.
The murder sparked outrage regarding the hostel’s security
Many expressed their grief over the murder of Maniishapriet, and anger over the lack of security at Mutiara Ville, the student housing where she was murdered.
Some who have been there claim there are no closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras on the premises, among other gaps in security that enables intruders to get in easily.
Meanwhile the University of Cyberjaya pledged to tighten security measures following the murder, and said it was working closely with security experts to further enhance its safety protocols, New Straits Times reported.
A man believed to be the victim’s relative confronted the suspects at court
On 3 July, a man tried to approach the murder suspects at the Sepang Magistrate’s Court.
In a video that went viral, he could be heard shouting angrily at the suspects “You killed my sister! Use your brains lah! You killed my sister!”.
Police officers quickly moved in to de-escelate the situation.
Meawnhile at the University of Cyberjaya, a memorial corner was set up to honour the late Maniishapriet where students left notes in remembrance of the victim.
“May your soul rest in a better place, dear. I hope you will get justice,” one note said.
“You will always be loved,” another note read.
Two suspects are being charged with murder today
The suspects, who are in their 20s, are being charged this morning (10 July) at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex.
According to New Straits Times, the male suspect will be charged with murder while the female suspect will be accused of abetment.
Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder carries the death penalty. If not sentenced to death, a jail term of between 30 and 40 years must be imposed, along with no less than 12 strokes of the rotan.
Meanwhile, the penalty for abetment under Sections 109 and 302 carries the same sentence.
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