KOTA KINABALU, July 17 — A foreign national and a local man have been remanded for seven days from today to assist in the investigation into the murder of a 10-year-old girl whose body was found in Kampung Numbak, Sepanggar, yesterday.
The remand order for the two suspects, aged 39 and 42, was issued by Magistrate Wan Farrah Farriza Wan Ghazali and will run until July 24.
The application was filed by investigating officer ASP La Paula Abd Muis under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The two suspects were arrested following the discovery of the body of Nurjilya Abdullah, who had been reported missing since July 13.
Acting Kota Kinabalu district police chief Supt Syed Lot Syed Ab Rahman said police received information from members of the public regarding the discovery of the child’s body at 10.38 pm yesterday, after she had been reported missing from the village since Monday.
“Initial inspections at the scene by the forensics team found the victim’s body to be in a state of decomposition. Identification was later made by the victim’s mother based on the clothes the victim was wearing when she was reported missing,” he said in a statement here last night.
Syed Lot said a post-mortem conducted by a forensic medical expert found that the cause of death was believed to be injuries to the face and the back of the head caused by blunt force trauma from a hard object.
He added that the motive for the incident remains under investigation, with police finalising the probe, including recording witness statements and gathering related evidence.
He said both male suspects would be brought to court for a remand application to facilitate further investigations, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
Syed Lot also advised the public not to speculate or spread unverified information that could disrupt the ongoing investigation.
“Any individual with information regarding this incident is urged to come forward and assist in the investigation by contacting the investigating officer, ASP La Paula Abd Muis, at 013-5149490 or by visiting any nearby police station,” he said.
