Police have arrested Samirah Muzaffar (right) to assist in the investigation into her husband Nazrin Hassan’s death. — Picture via Facebook/Nazrin Hassan
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Samirah Muzaffar, the wife of Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd CEO Nazrin Hassan, was arrested early this morning for a murder investigation into his fiery death on June 14.
Selangor Criminal Investigations chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Fadzil Ahmat also confirmed that Samirah’s first husband was also arrested today, adding that both will be remanded for seven days, starting today.
“We arrested the 43-year-old ex-husband to Nazrin’s wife at 1am in Sepang.
“Following his arrest, we picked up Nazrin’s 43-year-old wife from Taman Tun Dr Ismail at 2.15am today,” said Fadzil.
Nazrin’s death was reclassified from sudden death to murder on August 3, following laboratory test results from the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department that showed foul play.
The results showed traces of petrol in Nazrin’s room on the top floor of a double-storey semi-detached house in Mutiara Damansara, resulting in the fire.
Malay Mail reported on August 6 that a police source revealed the lab results showed traces of petrol on Nazrin’s head, bedframe and mattress, as well as his handphone.
On June 20, Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Azmi Osman also told Malay Mail that his investigators did not conclude or even suggest that an exploding handphone killed Nazrin as the family had claimed.
Azmi had said it was premature to conclude that the fire was caused by an exploding handphone.
According to results of the preliminary investigation of the Fire and Rescue Department, Nazrin, who was 45, likely died of smoke inhalation. He also suffered burns to 30 per cent of his body.
Police were not roped in at the time as the Fire and Rescue Department was still studying the fire’s pattern for laboratory submissions and further analysis.
Nazrin is Samirah’s second husband. The couple has four children.
Following the incident, Cradle issued a statement asserting that Nazrin died from blast injuries attributed to an exploding handphone that was being charged next to him.
The 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 his bed caught fire, partially burning 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 Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations.
Reports have emerged that two suspects have been arrested to facilitate in on-going investigations into the June 14 death of Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd CEO Nazrin Hassan. Those two individuals are his wife, Samirah Muzaffar, and her ex-husband.
Police suspect that what was initially believed to be an accidental and tragic death, could in fact be murder.
Both were arrested in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and The Star reports that the male suspect was picked up first, with Ms Muzaffar being arrested an hour later. They will be in police remand for seven days.
Found dead after being trapped in a fire in an upstairs room of his Mutiara Damansara house, Nazrin’s widely mourned death had initially been reported as due to the blunt-force trauma and subsequent fire caused by an exploding mobile phone, with even his former company issuing a statement confirming as much.
However, in August Selangor Fire and Rescue issued a statement refuting such claims, clarifying that at no time did they conclude, or suggest this in their investigations. They added that the suggestion of a phone causing his death had come from the victim’s family.
Authorities went on to say that lab results taken from the scene of the crime suggest that foul play was at hand, after traces of petrol were found in various spots of the bedroom where Nazrin was found.
Speaking to Malay Mail, an inside source revealed that petrol was found on the victim’s head, along the bed-frame, the mattress, as well as his mobile phone. Police then began to investigate the case as murder.
Shortly after police spoke new developments in the case, Samirah Muzaffar released a lengthy statement to the media, contradicting the claims that were made as inconsistent with the findings of her husband’s post-mortem, and also alleging that investigators largely kept her in the dark.
Outlining that forensic doctors at Kuala Lumpur Hospital confirmed that Nazrin sustained severe, blunt injuries to his head, she wrote that several smaller ones across his face, neck, chest, left shoulder, and to the back of his left hand were also logged – all of which were consistent with the effects of shrapnel injuries (alluding to original claims that he had died due to an exploding mobile phone).
The detailed report went on to conclude that her husband died from the severity of his injuries. There are no mentions of petrol traces found on his head, nor was he on any medication at the time – two claims that have been floated since his death.
Saying that she and her family have been cooperative with officials, she wrote that they had not been forthcoming with updates, nor had they returned certain personal belongings that were missing after the incident.
Concluding that her husband lived a life of integrity and transparency, she asks that the investigations into his death be conducted in consistency with these principles.
Police have yet to elaborate on any new evidence in the case that would have lead to the arrest of the two suspects. We’ll keep you posted.
PETALING JAYA: Police have arrested deceased Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Nazrin Hassan's (pic) wife, Samirah Muzaffar, and her ex-husband for murder.
Selangor CID chief Senior Asst Comm Fadzil Ahmat said police arrested the two individuals in the wee hours of Tuesday to help with their investigations.
"We picked up a 43-year-old man at Sepang at around 1am.
"About an hour later we arrested the 43-year-old woman at Taman Tun Dr Ismail," he told The Star.
SAC Fadzil added that police have obtained a seven-day remand from the Petaling Jaya magistrate's court for the two individuals.
Nazrin was found dead after being trapped in a fire on the upper floor of his house in Mutiara Damansara on June 14, with burn marks on 30 percent of his body.
Police reclassified the probe as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code on Aug 3, following a forensic investigation report by the Fire and Rescue Department, which cited suspected foul play in the death.
It was reported that traces of petrol were found in the deceased's room following a lab report by the department.
Samirah, a senior executive at the Malaysian Intellectual Property Corporation, later criticised the authorities.
She said that she had been writing to the Fire and Rescue Department requesting for updates, but was told that the report by the department could not be given to her because Nazrin's death was a high profile case.
In a statement on Aug 14, she added that she also wanted information on certain missing items and personal belongings of Nazrin, which have not been seen since the incident.
Samirah also alleged that the Fire and Rescue Department had made claims which are patently untrue, particularly that it had taken control of the premises, specifically the room where Nazrin's death occurred, from June 14 to 19.
She said that after 5pm on June 14 itself, the family was informed that it could access the room, as well as clean the said room.
"And yet, the Fire Department produced a letter on June 19 which was backdated to the June 14. Acts of this sort which transgress established procedures erode our confidence in the authorities," she said in her statement.
She also said that she had lodged police reports pertaining to the investigations and missing items since June.
Related stories:
Cradle CEO's wife remanded in murder investigation (updated)
Cradle Fund CEO’s death may be murder, say police
Cradle CEO Nazrin Hassan dies in room fire
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