KOTA KINABALU, Jan 30 — A teacher at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Tun Datu Mustapha told the Coroner’s Court here today that Zara Qairina Mahathir was accused by classmates of stealing money just days before her death.

Mohd Sham M. Nasir, 26, who was teaching Geography in Zara Qairina’s class at the time, said the incident occurred on July 14, 2025, after a student reported losing RM20 while at the science laboratory.

He said he questioned the class but received no response before conducting a spot check on all students present, including Zara Qairina, but no money was found.

“I personally checked the school bags, wallets, trouser pockets and shirt pockets of male students. For female students, I asked the assistant class monitor to conduct the checks.

“The inspection lasted about 10 to 15 minutes, but the missing money was not found,” Mohd Sham, the 61st witness, testified before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan during the inquest into Zara Qairina’s death.

Mohd Sham said after the spot check, the lesson continued as usual. 

However, he said the student who lost the money later handed him a piece of paper bearing Zara Qairina’s name, before several other students voiced suspicions against her, claiming they also had previously lost money.

Mohd Sham stressed that he advised the students not to make accusations without evidence.

He said even while he was leaving after the class ended, several students followed him and continued repeating the allegations, but he again cautioned them against making unproven claims.

In the same proceedings, Mohd Sham said he was appointed as a hostel warden starting August 2025 and explained the hostel’s duty structure, patrol schedule and security system, including the presence of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and shift-based security guards.

The witness also agreed with Deputy Public Prosecutor and inquest officer Mohd Fairuz Johari that, based on the warden duty roster for July 2025, no warden was on duty on the night of July 15.

Mohd Sham also told the court that while serving as a hostel teacher prior to his appointment as warden, he was not provided with any formal guidelines or duty list.

He further acknowledged that the classroom spot check was conducted without reference to any standard operating procedures.

The inquest continues next week.

The court also fixed next Friday for a locus in quo visit to the school hostel where the incident occurred.

Zara Qairina, 13, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17 and was buried at the Tanjung Ubi Muslim cemetery in Sipitang the same day, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school hostel at about 4 am.

On Aug 8, the Attorney General’s Chambers had directed the exhumation of her body to allow for a post-mortem examination. On Aug 13, the AGC ordered an inquest after reviewing the police investigation report. — Bernama