Autopsy shows abused tahfiz student died from rat urine disease (Updated)

PETALING JAYA: The 11-year-old religious school pupil who was believed to have died due to injuries from alleged abuse by an assistant warden at the school in April, had actually succumbed to leptospirosis (infection by rat urine), a post mortem has revealed.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Ghaddafi's condition was further complicated by a necrotic skin condition and the formation of microthrombi (micro blood clots) in his blood vessels.
"This caused a change in skin colour and subsequently the failure of his organs to function," he said in a statement today.
Noor Hisham said the autopsy report on the pupil's death would be forwarded to the police for the next course of action.
Mohamad Thaqif, who had both his legs amputated on April 22 due to injuries, passed away at 2.05pm at Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI) on April 26, with many initially believing that it was due to the assault by his assistant warden.
In the March 24 incident, the victim and his classmates were allegedly beaten with a rubber water hose by the warden at a private religious school in Kota Tinggi, for being noisy in a mosque.
Mohamad Thaqif's mother, Felda Wani Ahmad, 40, made the discovery of his injury after bringing him home on March 31, claiming the boy had "looked weak and worried" during her visit to the hostel.
The suspect was arrested on April 22 after the victim's mother lodged a police report, and was subsequently released on a RM20,000 court bond on May 3.
In an immediate reaction, Felda Wani said she found it hard to accept the post mortem finding.
"I have asked my lawyer to obtain the full medical report, and then we will see what to do next.
"We have been waiting for two months, and now they are saying it's leptospirosis. Why did they take two months? One to two weeks would have been sufficient. And why then was my child's legs amputated?" she told theSun.
Felda Wani said she was also extremely disappointed that she only found out about the report through the media, and was not contacted by the ministry.
Meanwhile, Johor Health, Environment, Education and Information Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said he did not know about the post mortem report and that the ministry has yet to refer the matter to him.