Zara Qairina's mother turns to social media for answers

KOTA KINABALU: The late Zara Qairina Mahathir's mother told the Coroner's Court that she turned to social media to find out what had happened to her only child.

Noraidah Lamat said she did so because no one had told her what had happened to Zara.

"Because no one told me what had happened to Zara, I turned to social media to find out what had happened to her.

"I did not do so with any ill intention towards anyone. I just wanted answers about what had happened to Zara, my only child," she said while reading her witness statement before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.

Earlier, the 82nd witness said several teachers had met her at the hospital and at her home after the incident.

However, none told her what had happened despite her asking them.

"Their answer was always the same, that all the students had gone to sleep early at 11pm. There were no eyewitnesses to what happened that night," she said.

She said she had also submitted an official letter to the school seeking preliminary information about what had happened to Zara, but received no response.

Noraidah said an Assistant Senior Teacher for Student Affairs (PK HEM) had also told her at the cemetery not to make the incident go viral.

"The PK HEM told me at the cemetery, 'Don't make this incident go viral,'" she said.

According to Noraidah, the teacher later told her at home that the school had been instructed by higher authorities not to provide her with information about Zara's death as the case was still under police investigation.

"When I asked who the higher authorities were, the answer was the Papar investigating officer and the integrity division. I was also once told by the school principal not to lodge a police report," she said.

Noraidah added that she was never informed about the school's internal investigation into the incident on the night of July 15, 2025.

"I only found out about the internal investigation through the inquest proceedings," she said.

According to Noraidah, police first contacted her on July 16, 2025, while she was at Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 here.

"The investigating officer asked me to take photographs of Zara's condition in the red zone of the emergency department and send them via WhatsApp.

"My statement was first recorded at the Sipitang district police headquarters on July 19, 2025, by Inspector Rahimi Radzi.

"I provided the police with information about Zara's condition at the hospital and what Zara had told me about the hostel. On July 28, 2025, I handed over Zara's mobile phone at the Sipitang district police headquarters," she said.

Noraidah said she was called by the Papar criminal investigating officer on July 20, 2025.

"Besides me, statements were taken from my brother, Abu Bakar, and my neighbour, Nowati Raup, who could not read or write.

"At first, I was questioned and asked to answer the questions. However, I was puzzled because the investigating officer did not type what I told him.

"After I asked why he was not typing my statement into the computer, the investigating officer finally began typing.

"After the statement-taking session ended, we were asked to sign without being given time to read the contents of the statement first," she said.

Noraidah further told the coroner that she handed over her mobile phone at Karamunsing police station on Aug 7, 2025.

"Throughout the investigation, I was called back and gave additional statements several times, with the last one being on Aug 16, 2025," she said.