MH370: Mystery call to Capt Zaharie 'mere speculation' - Police

Claims made by a UK tabloid of a phone call received by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah from a number registered using a dubious identity just before the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH370 plane took off, were "mere speculations".

Bukit Aman assistant chief inspector-general of police secretariat Asst Comm Datin Asmawati Ahmad said that the newspaper, The Mail, had no exclusive rights to the details of the investigations.

"Please be advised that the Royal Malaysia Police take no responsibility over the dissemination of such information, which originates from unnamed and unverified sources," Asmawati was quoted as saying by local daily The Star.

Earlier on Sunday, The Mail (The Sunday edition of The Daily Mail) claimed in a report that Zaharie received a two-minute call from a ‘mystery woman’ just before take-off on March 8.

“Investigators are treating it as potentially significant because anyone buying a pay-as-you-go SIM card in Malaysia has to fill out a form giving their identity card or passport number,” said the tabloid, which quoted unnammed investigators.

The report claimed that the the number was traced to a shop selling SIM cards in Kuala Lumpur. It further said that the SIM was purchased ‘very recently’ by someone who gave a woman’s name – but using a false identity.

“The discovery raises fears of a possible link between Captain Zaharie, 53, and terror groups whose members routinely use untraceable SIM cards. Everyone else who spoke to the pilot on his phone in the hours before the flight took off has already been interviewed,” said the report.