Sabah police commissioner Jauteh Dikun said a report was lodged on Sept 5 against a Facebook account under the name “Amung Kamaruddin”, which was found to contain elements of criminal intimidation and misuse of network services.
He said the 61-year-old suspect was arrested at the Semporna district police headquarters at about 7am yesterday, and his mobile phone was seized.
“Initial checks confirmed that the suspect was the owner of the Facebook account which had posted the threatening statement against the pathologist,” Jauteh said in a statement today.
The case is being investigated under Section 507 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
Jauteh reminded the public to be prudent and responsible on social media, warning that stern action will be taken against those who abuse it to cause public disorder and anxiety.
Meanwhile, attorney-general Dusuki Mokhtar said threats against pathologist in Zara Qairina inquest will not be taken lightly.
Yesterday, Dr Jessie Hiu of Queen Elizabeth Hospital lodged a police report over the death threats she received online.
Hiu had testified on Wednesday that it was not likely for Zara’s death to have been caused by an accidental fall or by being pushed from a standing position at the scene.
She also said it was possible Zara had climbed the concrete wall on the third floor of her hostel. However, she left it to the court to determine if Zara had voluntarily jumped.
The inquest was ordered after allegations of bullying were made after Zara died on July 17, a day after allegedly falling from the third floor of her school’s hostel in Papar, Sabah.
Social media users had responded harshly to Hiu’s testimony, with many questioning her findings and credibility.
Hiu has served as forensic pathologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu since 1998. She has also testified as an expert witness on an average of 10 to 15 times a year at the magistrates’, sessions, and High Courts in Sabah and Labuan.
The inquest continues on Sept 8.