KOTA KINABALU, Sept 17 — A medical officer told the Coroner’s Court here today that the investigating officer in Zara Qairina Mahathir’s case did not issue the POL 61 form, which is the post-mortem order to determine the cause of death of the 13-year-old girl.
Dr Logaraj Ratha, who has been undergoing practical training at Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s Forensic Medicine Department since June last year, revealed this when reading his witness statement before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan on the eighth day of the inquest into the teenager’s death.
“I received a release form from Inspector Wong Yew Zhung authorising the body of the deceased to be handed over to her mother, Noraidah Lamat, without a medico-legal post mortem,” said Dr Logaraj, the inquest’s seventh witness.
Recounting the events of July 17, which was the day Zara Qairina was pronounced dead, Dr Logaraj said he was informed of a death in the hospital’s Neurosurgery Ward involving an active police investigation, and that the body was to be transferred to the mortuary.
Given the police involvement, he reported the case to the on-duty forensic pathologist, Dr Ding Chee Swan.
“I contacted Inspector Wong, and he told me he had been informed that Zara Qairina’s cause of death was severe traumatic brain injury with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.
“Inspector Wong added that he would consult his superiors before giving further information.
“Later, he informed me that the police would not be issuing the POL 61 form and that the hospital could release the body to the family without conducting a medico-legal post-mortem,” he said.
The court was also told that Noraidah firmly refused a post-mortem on her daughter’s body.
Dr Logaraj testified that he had repeatedly explained the need for a medico-legal post-mortem to Noraidah.
He said these explanations were provided before, during, and even after she signed the formal document “Surat Akuan Enggan Bedah Siasat Mayat Atas Kemahuan Sendiri” — a declaration form indicating her refusal to consent to a post-mortem.
“All the details in the form were filled in by the victim’s mother herself, and I was with her throughout the process,” said Dr Logaraj during questioning by deputy public prosecutor Mohd Fairuz Johari, who is acting as the conducting officer for the inquest.
Firdaus: How many times did you explain the importance of a post-mortem to Puan Noraidah Lamat?
Dr Logaraj: I explained it twice before she signed the form… I also gave further explanations several times during and after she signed it. I continued to explain the matter to her.
In the inquest before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan, the doctor testified that Noraidah had verbally confirmed her understanding of the form’s contents and the explanations given.
Dr Logaraj said that following Noraidah’s refusal and with no other objections raised, the hospital proceeded to release Zara Qairina’s body to her mother in accordance with hospital and department policy.
On August 8, the Attorney-General’s Chambers ordered her remains exhumed for a post-mortem, before announcing an inquest into her death on August 13.
Zara Qairina died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she had been admitted a day earlier after being found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in Papar at 4am. She was buried at the Tanjung Ubi Muslim cemetery in Sipitang the same day.
