HULU SELANGOR: The police have recorded statements of 26 witnesses to assist in the investigation into the murder case of former Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) student Nur Farah Kartini Abdullah, 25, whose body was found in Sri Kledang Village, here.

Selangor Police Chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said that the witnesses included an acquaintance of the victim and a policeman, who is a colleague of the suspect arrested in the case.

So far, the police have only arrested a suspect in the case, he told reporters when met during a search operating for evidence in the case at an oil palm plantation in Kampung Sri Kledang, here today.

He said that the operation, which also involved the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) Underwater Forensic Investigation Unit, Tracker Dog Unit (K9) and the CSI Forensic Unit, succeeded in finding a smartphone believed to belong to the victim.

He said the search operation for evidence in the case will continue.

Regarding the motive of the murder, Hussein said the police were still investigating.

Meanwhile, Hussein said the police were still waiting for the autopsy report on the victim.

He said the body was still at the Forensic Unit of Sungai Buloh Hospital, where several procedures need to be carried out, including a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test, to determine its identity.

"I think it is going to take a few more days before the body can be released, but we will ask the Chemistry Department to speed up the process involved," he said.

Nur Farah Kartini, 25, was found dead in Kampung Sri Kledang at about 6 pm on Monday.

She was reported missing on July 10 after delivering a rental car to a customer.

A 26-year-old policeman attached to a police station in Perak, said to be her acquaintance, has been arrested and placed on remand until July 22 to facilitate investigations under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

-- BERNAMA