PETALING JAYA: The death of 45-year-old Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd (Cradle) group chief executive officer Nazrin Hassan has been reclassified as murder.
When contacted by The Star on Monday (Aug 6), Selangor CID chief Senior Asst Comm Fadzil Ahmat confirmed this.
“The case has been reclassified under Section 302 of the Penal Code on Aug 3.
“This follows a report by the Fire and Rescue department, and the results of the post-mortem,” he said when contacted on Monday (Aug 6).
Nazrin died of what was initially believed to be smoke inhalation after a fire in the top floor of his double-storey semi-detached house in Mutiara Damansara here on June 14.
The incident happened around 12.30pm after Nazrin had complained of a migraine and went to bed after taking some medication.
In the incident, the Fire and Rescue Department said it received a report at 12.30pm and despatched two fire engines and 14 firemen to the scene.
They arrived at 12.46pm and the fire was put out at 12.53pm.
It was initially reported that his handphone had exploded while it was being charged.
The Malay Mail, quoting sources, said that traces of petrol were found after lab tests were conducted.
Cradle is the Ministry of Finance company that manages the Cradle Investment Programme (CIP), which provides early stage funding for startups. It was originally a programme under Malaysia Venture Capital Management Berhad (Mavcap) before being spun off in 2007, with Nazrin being named as its first CEO.
It was the agency that gave early funding to companies like ride-hailing pioneer Grab (previously MyTeksi) and fintech startup iMoney.
Previously an entrepreneur himself, Nazrin was an early member of the Technopreneurs Association of Malaysia (TeAM). He was one of the key drivers of the Angel Tax Incentive and the Malaysian Business Angel Network (MBAN), and a member of the World Entrepreneurship Forum’s (WEF) think-tank.
Nazrin also served as a board member of the Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC) from its inception in April 2014 to February 2015.
Related story:
Cradle CEO Nazrin Hassan dies in room fire
A police source revealed that the lab results from the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department showed that there were four traces of petrol found in Nazrin’s room that caught fire. — Bernama pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 — Police are now investigating the death of Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd CEO Nazrin Hassan as murder, following lab results last week that suggested foul play.
A police source revealed that the lab results from the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department showed that there were four traces of petrol found in Nazrin’s room that caught fire.
“Police have now opened an investigation paper under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder after the Fire and Rescue department alerted them to their findings.
“The lab results showed traces of petrol on his head, bedframe and mattress, as well as his handphone,” the source told Malay Mail.
Meanwhile, Selangor CID chief Senior Asst Comm Fadzil Ahmat confirmed the reclassification of Nazrin’s case to murder.
He said the case was reclassified from sudden death to murder on Friday, but refused to divulge further.
On June 20, Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Azmi Osman told Malay Mail that his investigators did not conclude or even suggest that an exploding handphone killed Nazrin as claimed by latter’s family.
Azmi at that point said it was premature to establish the fire was caused by an exploding handphone.
Police were not roped in at the time as the fire and rescue team was still studying the fire pattern for lab submissions and further analysis.
Following the incident, Cradle also issued a statement asserting that Nazrin died from blast injuries attributed to an exploding handphone that was being charged next to him.
The purported message from Nazrin’s family included other unverified details, such as that Nazrin’s device overheated and exploded, causing blunt force trauma to the back of Nazrin’s head, killing him.
The message also alleged that Nazrin was dead before the bed he had been lying on caught fire, partially burning his body.
According to results of the preliminary investigation from Fire and Rescue department after the incident, Nazrin was killed following a fire in his bedroom at his double-storey terrace house in Mutiara Damansara and likely died of smoke inhalation.
He suffered burns to 30 per cent of his body.
Cradle is a firm under the Ministry of Finance, which oversees the development of tech entrepreneurs and the Malaysian start-up ecosystem.
It was the agency that provided seed funding to firms such as ride-hailing provider Grab (previously MyTeksi) and fintech start-up iMoney.
The incident took place on June 14, a day before the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations.
Nazrin was 45, and left behind a wife and four children, including a son from a previous marriage.
