Mobile phone explosion blamed for death of Cradle Fund CEO

PUTRAJAYA: The untimely death of Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd (Cradle) group chief executive officer Nazrin Hassan was due to "complication of blast injuries attributed to an exploding handphone" that was being charged next to him according to the post-mortem report.
In a statement by Cradle, today, the company said that speculation on the cause of his death is completely unnecessary and unacceptable at this time.
"We request for everyone to respect the privacy of the family during this time of grief. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all those he touched on his journey," it added.
Serving Cradle for over 15 years, the company lauded Nazrin's efforts to promote early-stage funding for technology startups.
"His vision and love for innovation will always be at the core of what we do. Nazrin loved his work, but his greatest love was for his wife and children."
"Cradle has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being," said chief operations officer Razif Aziz.
"Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Nazrin have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor," he added.
The father of four died yesterday afternoon after he was trapped by a fire in a bedroom of his house in Mutiara Damansara according to police.
Petaling Jaya District Police chief ACP Mohd Zani Che Din said the 48-year-old was in a bedroom on the upper floor of the house in Lorong PJU 7/24A during the incident.
Mohd Zani said Nazrin was found dead in the room which was filled with smoke and he had sustained 30% burns on his body.
Cradle is Malaysia's early stage start-up influencer and has been greatly successful, with the notable successes being Grab and iMoney.
A spokesman of the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department, when contacted, yesterday said the department was alerted to the fire at 12.30pm by a member of the public.
Firefighters reached the double-storey terrace house at 12.46pm and brought the fire under control a minute later, he said, adding that the blaze was extinguished at 12.53pm.
His remains were laid to rest at the Kota Damansara Mausoleum after funeral prayers were held after Eid prayers at the Masjid Kota Damansara, today.