KUALA LUMPUR: Six months after the murder of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin, his parents have been arrested.
Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the couple, both 28, were picked up by the state CID’s Serious Crime Division (D9) in Puncak Alam, Kuala Selangor, at about 10.05am on Friday.
“They were arrested based on intelligence and leads gathered since the start (of the investigation until now,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Comm Hussein said the couple have been remanded for seven days until June 7 to assist with the ongoing investigation into their son’s murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
He said any decision to re-investigate or revisit the location where Zayn Rayyan’s body was found, as well as his home in Damansara Damai, would depend on developments in the investigation.“For now, the police need additional statements from the parents before proceeding further.
“Whether we go back to the scene (where the body was found) will depend on the result of the interrogation,” he said, adding that the motive of the murder was still being determined.
Yesterday, Zayn Rayyan’s parents, wearing orange lockup uniforms, were brought to the Petaling Jaya Magistrate’s Court at about 8.50am for a remand application. The couple’s lawyer Mahmud Abdul Jumaat said the parents were shocked over this “new, unexpected development”.
“They were shocked and did not expect to be named as suspects in their son’s murder,” he said.He urged the public not to speculate on the arrest of his clients and asked everyone to be patient and pray that the family would be able to face the situation.
Routine: A child playing in the compund of the apartment; — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star
He said there could be new leads that led to the arrests.
“Police mentioned those (new leads) during the proceedings in front of magistrate Ainaa Mohd Kamal,” he added.
On Dec 5 last year, six-year-old Zayn Rayyan, who had autism, was reported missing in Damansara Damai in Selangor before he was found dead near a stream about 200m from his home at Apartmen Idaman the next day. 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, the police forensic teams combed through 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.
Yesterday, a visit to the family’s old neighbourhood found it brimming with activity, with teenagers and children cycling or playing around the area.
This was in contrast to last year, when disquiet had built up among residents who wanted answers to the boy’s murder.
Rashid Patawi, 40, who lives next door to the unit formerly rented by Zayn Rayyan’s family, said residents there had to move on.
Zayn Rayyan.
“We cannot live in trauma forever; life must go on. At first, I was cautious about letting my children play outdoors, even in the hallway.
“Once other children and the older ones started playing along the hallway, I allowed my children to join them.
“But if the children want to go to the playground, I would accompany them.
“It’s the same for other residents here – I think we began to allow our children to go out freely only in the last two months,” the father-of-six said when met.
Rashid added that Zayn Rayyan’s parents vacated the unit after the tragedy, and their apartment remains unoccupied.
Another neighbour, Izzani Mat, 28, said: “We also see police patrolling the area; it provides some comfort for the parents.”
