KUALA LUMPUR – Remand for a male acquaintance of murdered teacher Istiqomah Ahmad Rozi, whose dismembered body was found in a drain in Melaka on December 31 last year, has been extended.
The 36-year-old suspect had been in remand since August 6 until today with his wife, who was released on police bail.
The male suspect is now in remand for another seven days after magistrate Teoh Shu Yee granted police the extension until August 19, Bernama reports.
Wearing a face mask and orange-coloured lockup clothes, he was brought to the Alor Gajah court at about 8.30am today for the extension of his remand order.
The couple was arrested in Chemor, Perak, to facilitate investigations into Istiqomah’s disappearance, which was reported on December 27.
Four days later, on December 31, a dismembered body with its head, both limbs and legs missing ,was found in a drain beside a road in Kampung Tanjung Rimau Luar, Pulau Sebang, Alor Gajah.
Police earlier today confirmed that those remains were Istiqomah’s, after a DNA test showed matching results with the victim’s mother.
Meanwhile, Alor Gajah district police chief Ashari Abu Samah said the postmortem on Istiqomah’s remains have been completed, but will not yet be handed over to the family.
Police are still searching for the remaining parts of the body and as such, the remains cannot be returned to the family for funeral arrangements.
“The post-mortem has been completed, but some parts of the body are still missing. The body cannot be released yet, because the investigation is ongoing,” Berama reported Ashari saying. – August 12, 2024