SEPANG: A public university lecturer who was found dead in her car near a lake at Dengkil on Thursday was allegedly strangled to death by her 41-year-old husband.
Sepang police chief ACP Wan Kamarul Azran Wan Yusof today said the suspect, who is a job-hopper and a volunteer with a non-govermental organisation (NGO), allegedly strangled his 40-year-old wife with her headscarf for over 10 minutes until she died.
He said the murder occurred in a car at Taman Mas, Putra Perdana here when the man was embroiled in a heated argument with the victim after she filed for a divorce recently.
Wan Kamarul said at 1.30am on Thursday, the suspect called police claiming he had found his wife unconscious in her car at the PKNS lake, at Pinggiran Cyberjaya in Dengkil.
When investigators went to the scene, the suspect told police that he and his 14-year-old daughter had taken a ride-hailing taxi earlier in search of his wife after she was not reachable and had not returned home.
He said the suspect told police that with the help of the ride-hailing driver, they looked for the woman before finding her lifeless body in her car next to the lake.
Wan Kamarul said the victim’s body had no external injuries but a post-mortem report revealed that the cause of death was strangulation.
The case was classified as murder and at about 12.30pm on Thursday, police arrested the victim’s husband who was at the Serdang Hospital at the time.
Wan Kamarul said following interrogation, investigators learnt that the man and wife, who was an International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) lecturer, were engaged in a heated argument over the divorce before the suspect allegedly strangled the victim with her headscarf.
Wan Kamarul said the suspect then drove to the PKNS lake in Dengkil at about 4.30pm before moving the victim’s body to the driver’s seat.
He took the victim’s wallet and cellphone before leaving the scene with the car engine running.
Hours later on the pretext of being concerned for the victim, he went in search of her with the couple’s daughter.
“He led investigators to a location opposite a mosque at Taman Putra Perdana where he had dumped the victim’s belongings and then later to the lake where he threw her cellphone after smashing it up. The suspect is being held under a remand order for further investigations,“ Wan Kamarul said.
Police learnt that the couple married in 2005 and had recently been engaged in heated arguments.
Investigators also learnt that it was the suspect who had first asked for a divorce in June before the victim decided to file for it.
