Jobless youth gets murder charge over fatal strangling of Polisas student in Kuantan

Perak native Alan Stevekumar, a 19-year-old unemployed youth, faced a murder charge in Kuantan Magistrate's Court on October 12. He allegedly strangled 19-year-old polytechnic student M. Elisa Jonova at a rented house in Air Putih, Kuantan, during a domestic dispute. Alan, who was clad in a black T-shirt, red shorts, and a face mask, appeared before Magistrate Tuan Ruzuaini Tuan Lah, who read the murder charge to him through an interpreter.

The prosecution, represented by Mohd Sabri Othman, requested an adjournment to review the victim's post-mortem and toxicology reports. If found guilty, Alan could face the death penalty or between 30 and 40 years in prison, as well as at least 12 strokes of the cane. The victim's body was discovered unconscious on a bed in her rented room early on October 6, with pressure marks on her neck, indicating she had been strangled.