PETALING JAYA: New leads led to the arrest of the parents of murdered autistic boy Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin, says their lawyer Mahmud Abdul Jumaat
"The police mentioned (new leads) during the remand application proceeding in front of Magistrate Ainaa Mohd Kamal," he said.
Asked on possibilities that new evidence in the investigation or conflicting statements were discovered, Mahmud said it might have been the reason behind the arrests.
"When I saw them, they were in shock and did not expect to be named suspects in their son's murder.
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"I also did not expect this. In fact, I believe the whole country is shocked, but I believe the police are requesting for the remand to complete their investigation," he said.
Mahmud then urged the public not to speculate on the arrest of his clients and said he hoped all parties can be patient and pray that the family get through the situation.
"The investigation is still in the remand period. We do not know who will be charged eventually," he said.
Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the suspects have been remanded until Friday (June 7) to assist the ongoing investigation into the murder of their son.
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"They have been remanded to assist the investigation under Section 302 of the Penal Code. They were arrested based on intelligence and leads gathered from the first day (of investigation) until now," he said.
This comes after they were brought to the Petaling Jaya Magistrate's Court at about 8.50am on Saturday
Clad in orange lockup garments, the parents were brought to the court for the remand application before Magistrate Azura Mohd Saad over the murder of their eldest son.
It was previously reported that the parents were detained at about 10.05am on Friday (May 31) in Puncak Alam.
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On Dec 5 last year, the six-year-old Zayn Rayyan was reported missing in Damansara Damai and his dead body was found near a stream about 200m from his home at Apartment Idaman.
A post-mortem revealed injuries to his neck and body, leading to the conclusion that he had been killed.
During the course of the investigation, police's forensic teams combed the location where the body was found as well as the surrounding areas in Damansara Damai.
A mass DNA screening was also conducted, and 228 samples were collected.
Witnesses, including those who claimed to have last seen the boy alive, were also brought to the scene to assist investigators.