Zara inquest: Noraidah denies claiming daughter was murdered

KOTA KINABALU: Noraidah Lamat has denied claiming her daughter, Zara Qairina Mahathir, might have been murdered, responding to questions from lawyer Abdul Fikry Jaafar Abdullah during an inquest into Zara's death. Fikry suggested Noraidah's belief stemmed from bruises she noticed on her daughter's body. Noraidah stated, "I never said that.

I am still waiting for the police report to this day. There was no clear explanation until this case was brought to court." When asked if the bruises were reasons she couldn't accept the possibility Zara had taken her own life, Noraidah replied, "I only asked the police to investigate the matter." She mentioned noticing dark red marks while helping to bathe Zara's body on July 17, 2025, and subsequently lodged a police report at Sipitang district police headquarters.

Fikry referred to a media statement from Noraidah's family lawyers on Aug 3, 2025, which led the public to believe Zara had been struck by another person. Noraidah explained, "That is why we asked the investigators to conduct a transparent investigation and inform us of their findings, rather than leaving us wondering without any information."