Istiqomah's murder: Chronology of disappearance and arrest of suspects

KUALA LUMPUR: The mystery surrounding the disappearance of 33-year-old Istiqomah Ahmad Rozi, a teacher reported missing in Kota Masai, Johor, on Dec 27 last year, was resolved when a DNA test confirmed that the decapitated body of a woman, believed to have been murdered and stuffed in a garbage bin, belonged to her.

The following is the chronology of the disappearance and murder of the teacher of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Kota Masai 3.

Dec 26, 2023

- Istiqomah failed to return home after leaving for work.

Dec 27, 2023

- The family lodged a police report regarding the disappearance of Istiqomah, and Seri Alam district police chief Supt Mohd Sohaimi Ishak confirmed that a report about a missing woman was received at 12.36 am.

- The car driven by Istiqomah was found in the car park of a supermarket, near Kota Masai, Johor Bahru, near her house.

Dec 31, 2023

- The decapitated body of a woman, believed murdered and stuffed in a garbage bin, was found in a drain along the Alor Gajah-Tampin trunk road, near Kampung Rimau, Pulau Sebang, at about 2 pm.

- The body was found about 100 metres from an empty house. The victim has not yet been identified.

Jan 6, 2024

- The Alor Gajah district police chief Supt Arshad Abu said that both the victim's hands and feet had been cut off. However, the missing body parts were not found in the area.

Aug 2, 2024

- The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test of Istiqomah's mother was taken by the Data Bank/DNA (D13) of the Criminal Investigation Department, Bukit Aman.

Aug 5, 2024

- The Special Investigation Division (D9) of the Melaka Criminal Investigation Department (CID), in collaboration with the Johor CID and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Alor Gajah district police headquarters (IPD), have arrested a couple, aged 36 and 37, in Perak.

Aug 6, 2024

- The Alor Gajah Magistrate's Court allowed the remand order application for seven days against the couple.

- The interrogation of the two individuals led to the discovery of other parts of the victim's body, namely the finger bones and the head, about six kilometres from the first place where the victim's body was found.

Aug 12, 2024

- The Alor Gajah district police chief Supt Ashari Abu Samah confirmed that the decapitated body of a woman found in a garbage bin in a drain in Kampung Tanjung Rimau, Pulau Sebang, on Dec 31 last year belonged to Istiqomah.

- The Alor Gajah Magistrate's Court allowed the application to extend the remand order on the male suspect for another seven days.

-- BERNAMA