KUCHING: The motive behind the murder of a woman, whose decomposed body was found in Tabuan Jaya here on Sunday, has been revealed.
Police confirmed that the suspect, driven by a desperate need for money to attend the Malaysia vs Cambodia match during the 2024 Mitsubishi Electric Asean Cup in Phnom Penh on Dec 8, committed the crime.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata said that the suspect, a man in his 20s, who is currently under remand until Dec 22, confessed to the murder.
"He admitted to taking the victim's jewellery — specifically a gold bracelet and earrings — to pawn for money. He needed the funds for his expenses while attending the football tournament in Cambodia," he said.
Earlier today, speaking at the launch of the 2024 Christmas Road Safety Campaign and Sarawak Police's Customer Day event at the Sarawak Police Headquarters, Mancha expressed confidence that the case was close to being resolved.
"After detaining the suspect and conducting thorough investigations, he confessed to the crime. Based on the evidence gathered, we believe the case is almost solved. The suspect also led us to the location where the victim's body was discarded, which led to the discovery of the decomposed remains," he said.
Mancha said that during a follow-up inspection at the scene where the body was found, near a garbage dump in Tabuan Jaya, police discovered additional evidence, including clothing, teeth, and hair clumps.
"The body was not fully clothed when discovered, so we returned to the location yesterday to continue our search. The latest examination provided us with new evidence," he said.
On Dec 5, police received a report about the disappearance of 26-year-old Nurul Asikin Lan, who had been last seen leaving with a man she had just met.
Due to the advanced decomposition of the body, the victim's family could not initially identify her.
Therefore, police are still awaiting the results of a DNA test, which is expected to confirm the identity of the deceased by Dec 22.
In a separate matter, regarding the 2024 Christmas Road Safety Campaign, Mancha said that the campaign aims to raise public awareness, particularly for those traveling home for the holidays.
"The campaign will run from Dec 23 to 27. The statistics on road accidents and fatalities in Sarawak this year remain concerning. From January to November, 19,964 accidents were recorded, compared to 19,498 cases during the same period last year.
"While the number of fatal accidents decreased slightly from 336 last year to 326 this year, the situation remains worrying," he said.