KUANTAN: The tied-up, mutilated body of an 11-year-old girl was discovered by villagers in an oil palm plantation at Kampung Tanjung Medang Hilir, Pekan, on Saturday.
The remains of Siti Masyitah Ibrahim, who had been missing since Jan 30, were in a shocking condition as she had been decapitated and some of her internal organs were missing.
The girl’s parents — Ibrahim Ali, 39 and Zaleha Abdullah, 35 — were informed of the 5pm discovery, and they rushed to the scene to identify their missing daughter.
“It broke my heart to see my daughter’s body. Her hands and legs are tied, and her head is severed.
“We searched for her in the same area 11 days ago, but she was not there,” Zaleha said.
The mother said she was able to make a positive identification based on the blue dress which Siti Masyitah was wearing the day she disappeared.
At 5pm on Jan 30, Zaleha said Siti Masyitah had asked her for RM1 so that she could buy something at a shop, and promised to return home as soon as possible.
“She said she would return home early. That was the last time I saw her.
“I lodged a report at the Pekan police station on the same day.
“With the help of villagers, we mounted a search around the village every day for the past eleven days.
“I prayed for her return… It broke my heart to see her mutilated body yesterday (Saturday). Who is the heartless person who did this to my child?”
Siti Masyitah, the third of four siblings, was described as jovial.
“Why did they kill my daughter?
“What did she do to deserve such cruelty? What was her sin?” Zaleha said.
Villager Mohd Rosli Mat Rasat, 38, said he was among the first to arrive at the place after being told by a friend that Siti Masyitah’s body had been discovered.
“(Over the past 11 days), we looked for her all over the village, as well as at the place where she was found.
“I suspect she was killed elsewhere and dumped in the oil palm plantation,” he said, adding that nothing like this had ever happened in the village.
State Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Othman Nayan said a post-mortem on Siti Masyitah’s body would shed light on allegations that she could be a victim of an organ-trafficking syndicate.
He said the post-mortem would be conducted at Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) today.
He said police received a report about the discovery of a body believed to be the remains of a girl near bushes at 4.25pm on Saturday.
“The body was found not far from an oil palm plantation and about 200m from the Pekan-Paloh Hinai main road. The area where the body was found is surrounded by bushes and is secluded.
“The body was found lying face down. We have sent the remains to HTAA’s Forensics Department for a post-mortem. Policemen did not find weapons in the area,” he said.
While her family believed that Siti Masyitah might have been a victim of a human organ-trafficking syndicate as her hands and legs were tied, police are waiting for the outcome of the post-mortem today.
Pekan police chief Superintendent Amran Sidek said further updates on Siti Masyitah’s death would be available after the post-mortem.
“I have received information on the case, but I cannot comment on the cause of death.
“Let’s wait for the forensic report,” he said.
A police source said they were investigating various angles of the case.
The source said the post-mortem results would be crucial to determine if the missing organs had been eaten by animals or harvested by an organ-trafficking syndicate, or if the victim was raped.
The source also said it would determine when she was killed.