PETALING JAYA: A week after Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin was found dead in a stream near his home, disquiet is building up among people in the neighbourhood who want answers to the boy’s murder.
While the residents of Idaman Apartment in Damansara Damai commend the police for their efforts to find the killer, they wish that the investigation could be expedited, says a residents’ group.
New Apartment Idaman Residents Association (Naira) chairman Riduwan Rahmat said though the police have been doing great work in the case so far, a number of residents are anxious for the investigation to wrap up.
“We thank the police for their endless efforts and the residents who have been cooperating with them. But we really hope all this can end soon. We want to live normal lives again.
“Most of the residents are getting anxious, with the police and media going in and out every day,” he said.
Riduwan said the residents are also facing fatigue from the whole situation.
“We want to regain the freedom we used to have without fear,” he said when met at the apartment grounds here yesterday.“Despite this, I call on the residents to remain calm and pray that the police could do their best in finding the culprit,” Riduwan added.
The media reported that after the tragedy, the neighbourhood has become eerily quiet with most families reluctant to let their children out of their homes.
Previously, the kids who live there could be seen playing at the recreational facilities in the 18-block residential area.
Zayn Rayyan, a six-year-old boy with autism, was reported missing on Dec 5.
His body was discovered in a stream about 200m from his home on Dec 6.
The police classified the death as murder following a post-mortem the next day.
Yesterday, Zayn Rayyan’s mother shared a heartrending video compilation of her son on her TikTok account.
“Mummy is proud to have given birth to you,” wrote Ismanira Abdul Manaf, 28, who has another child.
Yesterday morning, the police forensic team was seen entering Block R.
Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the police have identified two child witnesses during the mass screening of residents there.
“The children saw Zayn Rayyan on the second and third floors of Block R, where Zayn Rayyan’s family lives, on Dec 5,” he said in a statement.
Comm Hussein also said the police have recorded 86 statements and collected 238 DNA samples in relation to the case so far.
