Zara Qairina Inquest Circle 19 Group Members Close Friends Since Form 1 Says Child Witness

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Photo shows the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex. — Bernama photo
KOTA KINABALU (Oct 9): The 19th deponent (10th child deponent) in the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir told the Coroner’s Court here that the Circle 19 group comprised 19 girls who had been close friends since Form 1.
She said the members were in the same form and class, although they did not necessarily stay in the same hostel block.
The court was told that the witness was unaware whether the existence of Circle 19 was known to teachers, nor did she know if any of its members had advised other students on disciplinary matters or missing items.
During the inquest, which entered its 20th day, the witness, who is also a student at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar, said she met Zara on July 15, 2025 during a meeting involving Circle 19 members.
She disclosed that when she was a junior student, her seniors would also reprimand her for breaching hostel rules, adding that such reprimands were often stern.
She further told the court that the chief dormitory prefect and her assistant were responsible for knowing who the warden on duty was, and that a notice identifying the duty warden was posted on the lower ground floor.
The witness said she had never seen a junior student being summoned to another dormitory for questioning over stolen items.
She said she could not recall whether any warden had ever reprimanded the senior students for questioning their juniors.
The witness also stated that she knew Zara as a student who stayed in the adjacent hostel room.
She claimed that there was no conflict between her and the deceased, and that on July 15, she and her roommate were informed about a lost wallet containing money and an identification card, and that Zara was suspected by her roommate.
She related that she had asked another student to summon Zara to meet her along with other friends in the witness’ dormitory.
She said the first meeting involved herself and her friend, during which she asked Zara several questions such as, “Do you know the student whose wallet and IC are missing?” and “Did you take them from the student?”
The witness said that Zara replied, “No, I did not take them.”
The witness also asked her roommate, who had suspected Zara of taking the items, to be present during the meeting.
At that time, Zara took an oath saying: “Wallahi” and clearly denied stealing the items.
The witness said that not long after, another student entered the dormitory and asked Zara several questions.
She said that student later left and returned with two other friends.
According to the witness, the three students then questioned Zara about the missing items belonging to another student.
The witness stated that she told Zara, “Just admit it if you were the one who took them — we won’t be angry,” but Zara did not admit to it.
The witness said that after that, she no longer took part in the conversation between the other students and Zara.
She claimed she did not know whether anyone tried to stop other students from questioning Zara. The witness recalled that one student had clearly uttered the word “stupid”.
She also said she could not remember how long her meeting in the dormitory with Zara lasted, nor could she recall how long she remained in the room while the other students were questioning Zara.
The witness also said that she did not know of, nor did she observe, any unusual emotional reaction from Zara before she (the witness) left.
She claimed to have left the room together with two other students, while several others remained with Zara.
The witness stated that she intended to sleep in another dormitory room (not her own) with several other female students that night.
She explained that sleeping in another dormitory was not considered an offence as long as they informed their dormitory chief of where they would be spending the night.
The witness said she later left for the other dormitory to sleep at around 10pm, adding she did not leave the room between midnight and 3am.
The witness said later her friend woke her up to inform her that Zara was found lying on the ground below.
She said she was shocked when she saw Zara’s condition from the staircase on the third floor.
Zara, a Form 1 student at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha, died on July 17, 2025, after she was found unconscious in a drain near the hostel on July 16. - borneopost

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