Kampung mesapol: The exhumation of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir’s body at the Tanjung Ubi Muslim Cemetery, Kampung Mesapol was completed at 7.15 tonight. The process began at around 5.30 pm, with the recitation of prayers following the arrival of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) forensic team and other relevant parties at 4.56 pm.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Zara Qairina’s body was removed from the cemetery grounds at 7.38 pm and subsequently transported to Queen Elizabeth I Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, approximately 130 kilometres away. Present to witness the process were notable figures including Sabah mufti, Datuk Bungsu @ Aziz Jaafar, Papar police chief, Supt Kamaruddin Ambo Sakka, Hamid Ismail, and lawyer Shahlan Jufri, representing Zara Qairina’s family.

Earlier, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail stated that the PDRM would exhume Zara Qairina’s body promptly to complete the investigation into the student’s death, following instructions from the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) issued yesterday.

The AGC had announced that the exhumation was necessary to conduct a post-mortem examination. Further investigations by the police are deemed essential to ensure a comprehensive examination of all aspects of the case.

Zara Qairina, 13, was confirmed dead at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on July 17. She had been rushed to the hospital after being found unconscious in a drain near the dormitory of a religious school in Papar, at about 4 am on July 16.