Murdered cadet denied taking laptop, witness says

A witness in the murder trial of National Defence University of Malaysia cadet officer Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain told the Kuala Lumpur High Court here today that the victim had denied taking a laptop belonging to the first accused in the case.

S Hari Krishna Rao, 22, a medical student at UPNM, said Zulfarhan denied taking the laptop when he and a few of his friends asked about it.

“I asked Zulfarhan if he had been to room 4-10, which was (first accused) Muhammad Akmal Zuhairi’s room, because the laptop went missing from the room, and he said no.

“I also asked whether he took the laptop, he said he did not,” said Hari Krishna, who also told the court that he asked Zulfarhan Osman about it when they were at UPNM hostel room 3-05 on May 21, 2017.

Hari Krishna, who is the 20th witness, also said he questioned Zulfarhan about the laptop after Akmal told him that he suspected the victim of being the thief.

He said this during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Othman Abdullah on the 10th day of the trial today.

Questioned by Othman whether he knew why Akmal suspected Zulfarhan, Hari Krishna said he did not, but did see the victim at hostel room 4-06 a few days later.

Zulfarhan was shirtless, covered with blanket up to the waist, seen like he was just lying down in the room and there was scalding on the chest, he added.

Six UPNM students – Akmal, Muhammad Azamuddin, Muhammad Najib Mohd Razi, Muhammad Afif Najmudin, Mohamad Shobirin Sabri and Abdoul Hakeem Mohd Ali, have pleaded not guilty to the murder and abetment in the murder of Zulfarhan at room 04-10, Jebat hostel block of UPNM, between 4.45am and 5.45am, on May 22, 2017.

The charges against them, all aged 22, were made under Section 302 and 109 of the Penal Code, which provides for the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

They, together with 13 other students, were also charged with voluntarily causing hurt to the victim to make him confess to the laptop theft, under Section 330 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same code which provides for a maximum jail term of seven years and fine, if convicted.

The hearing before judge Azman Abdullah continues tomorrow.

- Bernama