Top 10 unsolved crimes

that shook Malaysia

Everyone enjoys a good mystery once in a while, some perhaps more
than others. All the great mystery writers at some point owe some part of
their success to real-life mysteries.

Malaysia, on that score, is no stranger to real-life mysteries either. From
the ill-fated Tanjung Kupang air crash; the gruesome Nurin Jazlin murder
as well as the killing of beauty queen Jean Perrera Sinappa, Malaysian
history is filled with crimes which remain unsolved to this very day.

As such, Malaysian Digest has compiled some of the most intriguing
real-life local mysteries which have baffled the authorities and the public
at large.
10. Death Of A Beauty
Queen
Jean Perrera Sinappa was a former beauty queen, whose husband had
just died in a traffic accident. But four months later on April 6, 1979, she
was found dead in her car along the Federal Highway, Kuala Lumpur. Her
then-lover, who was also her brother-in-law, Karthigesu was found
unconscious outside the car, by the roadside. When Karthigesu regained
consciousness at the hospital, he claimed he was knocked on the head
from behind.
An ensuing trial found Karthigesu guilty of killing Jean and he was
sentenced to the gallows. The prosecution presented a case where
Karthigesu flew into a jealous rage upon discovering that Jean was
having an affair with a Sri Lankan doctor, Dr Narada Warnasurya.
However, in an odd turn of events, Karthigesu was freed two years after
the trial ended following an appeal. The killer walks and the mystery
remains unsolved.
9. Where Did My
Baby Go?
In recent years, news of missing children figured prominently on the front pages of local
newspapers. However, there are those which stay with us long after the case goes cold, such as the
case of Sharlinie Mohd Nashar.

On January 9, 2008, five-year-old Sharlinie was at a playground close to her home in Taman
Medan, Petaling Jaya with her sister. Soon after, she went missing.
The public was sent on high alert when reports emerged that a lelaki kucing (cat man), so
dubbed because he had asked kids to help him look for missing cats, could be behind her abduction.
Her disappearance sent the media into a frenzy, as it came barely a year after another missing child
case, that of Nurin Jazlin Jazimin. No effort was spared in the dissemination on information regarding
Sharlinies disappearance, with the little girls poster splashed at every toll booth and petrol kiosk
nationwide.
Sharlinies family also put their lives on hold to search for their girl, with the father even traveling
to neighbouring countries to chase down leads, all to no avail.
In exactly two days, it will be exactly five years since Sharlinie was taken from her family.
Polices lead on the case eventually grew cold, and her whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
8. The Girls Death Which
Broke A Million Hearts
August 20, 2007, seemed like any other day for the family of eight-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin.
The girl had gone to a market near her home to buy a new hairclip, and was never seen alive again.
Witnesses reported seeing her being dragged into a white van in Wangsa Maju.

Her disappearance triggered massive media coverage, with her name and face etched into the
minds of every Malaysian. The heartfelt pleas by the family for her safe return also touched the
hearts of many, and Malaysians across all walks of life prayed for her safe return.




Their prayers went unanswered. A month later, a childs lifeless, naked form was found stuffed
in a gym bag in Petaling Jaya, with CCTV camera recording providing little clue as to who may have
dumped the bag there.

Her parents were unable to identify her remains due to the extreme physical changes in her
body, but DNA tests confirmed their worst fears: the remains were indeed of their daughter.
An Indonesian woman was subsequently detained over the case, but the murder remains
unsolved. The killer, perhaps, still walks among us.
7. When Pleasure Turns Into Murder
Norita Samsuddin, 22, was a small town girl from up north, trying to make it in the big city. She
had the good looks of a fashion model and was believed to have received several modelling offers
all of which she turned down in lieu of building a career as a marketing executive at Transpro Sdn
Bhd, the company she was attached to at the time of her untimely demise.
On Dec 5, 2003, Norita was found dead in a room at a posh apartment complex in Sri Hartamas,
Kuala Lumpur. Her naked body was found with her hands tied with a bra and several wires. There
were no signs of injury on her body except strangulation marks on her neck and piece of cloth
stuffed in her mouth. Engineer Hanif Basri was later arrested and charged for her murder. It was
believed that Hanif had visited Norita that night and the prosecution tried to prove that he was the
last person to see her alive.
However during the trial it was brought to light that someone else had visited Norita
after Hanif left. The case against Hanif however was a weak one. Hanif was acquitted after
a trial that came complete with conspiracy theories and lurid details of Noritas social life.
The circumstances surrounding her death was as mysterious as the circumstances
surrounding the investigations after her death. It was believed that the crime scene was
tampered with although nothing was ever proven.
Whatever the truth is, it probably lies buried with Norita.
6. Did The Butler
Do It?
Sabah Assistant Minister of Rural and Entrepreneurial Development Datuk Norjan Khan Bahadar
was found dead in a hotel room at Bandaran Berjaya, Kota Kinabalu, on 11 February 2004. Norjan was
found lying fully clad on the floor by her bed at the hotel with several small stab wounds on her neck
and face.
Police initially cited jealousy as a possible motive but later ruled it out, citing robbery instead
although it is believed that nothing was missing in her room.
Investigations later led to the arrest of a waiter, Azman Bakar who the police believed had killed
Norjan because he was jealous of seeing her with another man.
During the trial, a witness was brought forward, a Pakistani businessman, Amir Khan. Lurid
details emerged during the trial, suggesting that Datuk Norjan had intercourse with Amir Khan
although he denied it.
Azman Bakar was later released when the prosecution failed to prove that Azman had in fact
known Norjan. No further arrests were made. Again, another mystery remains unsolved.
5. The Double
Six Tragedy
Many of us living in KL would have driven in Taman Tun Dr Ismail and noticed Jalan Tun Fuad
Stephens. Some of us have no idea who he was. Some of us can say that he was the former chief
minister of Sabah. But how many of us know that his death is still shrouded in mystery and the case
remains unsolved until today, and the original report of the incident has been filed under Classified?

It was infamously known as the Double Six Tragedy. On June 6th, 1976, Tun Fuad Stephens,
alongside several other government officials, as well as Tun Fuads eldest son, Johari boarded a GAF
Nomad aircraft, operated by Sabah Air at Labuan Airport. The plane was headed for Kota Kinabalu.


However, upon approaching KK International Airport, the plane stalled and crashed, killing
everyone onboard.

Foul play was suspected although it was later claimed that the aircraft had several design flaws. It
was also believed that overloading could have been a contributing factor but the real reason
remains a mystery.

Tun Fuads death came 44 days after his second term as Sabahs Chief Minister. The political
circumstances surrounding his death is perhaps ironic as it had to do with oil and gas.
Reports claim that Tun Fuad upon ousting Tun Mustapha in the 1976 state
elections, refused to sign away 95 per cent of the oil and gas revenue to the
federal coffers and held out in Labuan for a higher percentage of at least 20 per
cent. Tun Fuads tragic death settled the oil royalty issue in favor of the federal
government and Petronas, when Harris Salleh, his successor, signed away the oil
revenues, witnessed by then Paramount Chief of the Dusuns, Joseph Pairin
Kitingan.
Whether it was truly a technical fault that wiped out all passengers on board
the Nomad or whether it was premeditated, the answer may never surface.
4. A Life Of Misery Ended
Xu Jian Huang, a 14-year-old Chinese national was sent to live in Malaysia with his fathers
cousin. However, on Sept 27, 2005, he was found drowned in a swimming pool with 23 torture
marks on his body. Investigations led to the arrest and trial of three men who were charged with
Xus murder; his uncle, businessman Koh Kim Teck, and his two bodyguards Resty Agpalo and
Mohd Najib Zulkifli.

The 36- day trial saw the businessman having his Datuk Seri title revoked. However, due to
unresolved and unanswered doubts, all three men were cleared of killing the boy.

The trial came complete with lurid details. However, missing witnesses contributed to the
acquittal of the three men. According to a 2010 news report, the prosecution appealed against
the acquittal, and Koh, a well-known corporate personality, disappeared soon after that.

Koh was absent throughout the appeal. In 2010, his acquittal was upheld by the Appellate
Court. Kohs whereabouts remain unknown. Did he torture his nephew? Were the bodyguards
involved? Why were there witnesses missing? Jian Huang carries the knowledge of those who
killed him to his grave.
3. Black Magic Woman
The murder was solved. The murderer was sentenced to death. Case closed. However, the sheer
mystery surrounding what happened and the oddity of the murderer earns this case a spot on this
unsolved list. On July 22, 1993, police discovered the dismembered body of Mazlan Idris, state
assemblyman of Batu Talam, Pahang.

Former singer turned bomoh Mona Fandey was arrested alongside her husband and assistant.
All three were found guilty and sentenced to the gallows. The death sentence was upheld despite
several appeals. No one who lived through the 1990s could forget the gruesome details that
emerged from the Mona Fandey-Mazlan Idris trial.

His body was chopped into several parts following a supernatural ritual believed to bring more
money for him, and he was buried in a storeroom near her house in Pahang.

What constitutes this as an unsolved is how remorseless the three were even during their
execution. Throughout the trial, it was reported that Mona uttered the words Aku takkan mati and
remained calm with a smile on her lips.
2. The Assassination Of An IGP
Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Hashim, a Kedahan, was appointed as the countrys 3rd Inspector-General of
Police (Ketua Polis Negara).

one fateful day on June 7, 1974, Abdul Rahman was in his car on his way to a meeting in Bukit Aman.
His car, driven by Sergeant Omar Yunus, was coasting along Jalan Tun Perak when it came under a hail of
gunfire.

Two unknown assailants had rained 11 shots at the car, seven of which hit the IGP.

At the time, Malaysia was fighting the uprising of subversive forces that came in the form of communist
members. It was believed that the order for the hit came from the leader of Parti Komunis Malaya, Chin
Peng.

This, however was never proven in court. In 1975, two men, Lim Woon Chong and Ng Foo Nam were
found guilty of assassinating Perak police chief Tan Sri Khoo Chong Khong at Jalan Ashby in Ipoh.

It was later theorized that both could have been the same unknown assailants who had gunned down
Abdul Rahman although it was not proven.

Lim and Ng were sentenced to death in 1978 under the Internal Security Act (ISA). Until today, it is still
unknown if the two men were the same hired guns who had carried out the hit on the IGP.
1. An Air Crash That
Rocked The Nation
On the evening of December 4, 1977, Malaysia Airlines flight 653 left Penang for Kuala Lumpurs
Subang Airport.
However as it began its descend for Subangs Runway 33, captain GK Ganjoor reported an
unidentified hijacker on board.
Several minutes later, the captain radioed in that the flight was now headed for Singapore. Cockpit
voice recordings picked up screaming, cursing as well as what could have been the cockpit door being
broken in.
At 8.15 pm, all communication with the flight was lost. At 8.36 pm, the flight crashed at Tanjong
Kupang in Johor. No survivors were found.
What was even more tragic was that none of the bodies could be identified as they were blown to
bits. The victims remains were interred in a mass burial.
Until today, no evidence was found to determine what caused the crash and who the unidentified
hijacker was.
Residents of nearby Tanjung Kupang reported hearing explosions, however there were no weapons
or bullets found in the wreckage. Passengers on board included the Malaysian Agricultural Minister,
Dato Ali Haji Ahmad, Public Works Department Head, Dato Mahfuz Khalid, and Cuban Ambassador
to Japan, Mario Garca.
Some speculated that the Japanese Red Army was responsible but no evidence was found to support
the theory.
It remains a tragic memory in the history of commercial aviation in Malaysia, and
the devastating demise of all its passengers warrants this tragedy a top spot in
Malaysian Digests Top Ten Unsolved Mysteries In Malaysia. malaysiandigest..