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©The
Star (Used by permission)
by Yeng Ai Chun
NIBONG TEBAL: A factory worker was found hanged in his house in Kampung Parit
Kasa here, with his two children lying dead nearby.
Shaari Hamid, 34, believed to be in the midst of a divorce, was found hanged
from a wooden beam with the bodies of Muhammad Shamir, four, and one-year-old
Nor Ameelia Shafiqahin lying on a mattress in their bedroom.
South Seberang Prai OCPD Supt Shafien Mamat said the case was being investigated
under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder and suicide.
He said police received a call from a relative at 12.45pm.
“Early investigations show that they had been dead for more than seven hours
before the police were called,” he said when met at the scene.
Supt Shafien said the post-mortem results showed that there were traces of
poison in the children’s bodies.
“We are not sure if they consumed the poison through a drink or food but there
was poison in their bodies,” he said.
Earlier, policemen were seen removing bottles of weedkiller from the compound of
the house.
“Police are looking into several possibilities on how the children died. We also
found some documents which would help with the investigation,” Supt Shafien
said, but declined to say whether it was a suicide note.
It is understood that Shaari’s elder sister, who lives next door, had gone over
to his house in the morning to wake him up for work when she found him dead.
The grieving sister did not want to talk to the press.
A family friend, Abdullah Hashim, 46, said he could not believe that Shaari, who
was a doting father, would kill his children.
“He loved his children. He was having problems with his wife and they have been
separated for the past six or seven months.
“He did not want a divorce as he was worried about the children. Just the day
before, he attended marriage counselling at the Religious Department with his
wife,” he said, adding that the couple had taken turns to care for the children
since their separation.
Abdullah added that Shaari was very sad over the separation and would always
call him to pour out his woes and ask for advice.
At the Sungai Bakap Hospital mortuary, Shaari’s wife could not stop sobbing over
the fate of her two young children.
Norhanizah Ahmad, 27, was earlier seen at the house before proceeding to the
mortuary.
“I received a call from a relative at 2pm yesterday who told me about the
deaths. Shaari picked up the children from my mother’s house yesterday at around
11pm.
“He seemed normal and I did not notice anything amiss,” she said between sobs.
Norhanizah is currently staying with her mother in Titi Serong, Parit Buntar,
Perak.
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Circular No 297/2008
