Prosecution’s 20th witness testifies

KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) student cadet officer Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain, who was allegedly murdered, was at the university’s library on the night a laptop was reportedly stolen, the High Court was told yesterday.

The prosecution’s 20th witness, third-year UPNM undergraduate S. Hari Krishna Rao, said he confronted the victim over the stolen laptop.

“I came back from an event that night and bumped into two of my roommates from room 406.

“They told me they were heading to room 305 for a ‘certain matter’.

“After changing my clothes, I went to (room 305) and met Hairi (Muhammad Akmar Zuhairi Azmal), the owner of the missing laptop.

“He told me that he suspected Zulfarhan was the thief.

“We went to room 306 (Zulfarhan’s room), but he was asleep and we returned to room 305.

“However, Hairi went to Zulfarhan’s room again,” he said during an examination-inchief by deputy public prosecutor Othman Abdullah.

Hari, a medical undergraduate, said Zulfarhan told him that he had been at the library (the night the laptop went missing) as he did not have Internet access.

“Zulfarhan denied that he went to room 410 (Hairi’s room) that night.”

Question: Why were you questioning Zulfarhan? Answer: Because he was the suspect.

Q: Who was with you when you were investigating Zulfarhan?

A: Hairi.

Q: Why would you bother (being involved) with this incident?

A: Because (the laptop) belonged to my friend.

Q: Do you know why Zulfarhan stayed in your room? A: I do not know.

Hari said he saw Zulfarhan for the next three days as the latter slept in his room.

“He stayed in my room for several days and slept on my roommate’s bed,” he said, adding that he saw burn marks on Zulfarhan’s chest.

He said he did not communicate with Zulfarhan or ask him about the wounds as he wanted “to avoid trouble with the university”.

Zulfarhan, a third-year student, died on June 1 at 9pm at Serdang Hospital due to severe injuries suffered from alleged bullying.