Kota Kinabalu: Darau Assemblyman Azhar bin Datuk Matussin lodged a report against social media claims linking his daughter to the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir.
“I do not have a daughter named Dayana Balqis, also known as Dedeng. Furthermore, I have never sent my daughter to study at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha.
“The birth certificate displayed in the post does not belong to my daughter. All the details are false. They were fabricated and can be verified at any National Registration Department branch,” he said in his Facebook page, Tuesday.
The former State Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry lodged the report to call on the authorities to act against those responsible for creating and spreading the false claims, including individuals who shared the content on other online platforms.
He also filed a Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) report the same day over the post, which appeared on the Facebook page under the name of “Forum Politik Sabah Suara Anak Sabah, Ini Sabah Bah (ISB)”.
He said legal advisers have recommended him to pursue the case in court.
Although the post has since been deleted, Azhar said the damage had been done and stressed that the safety of his daughter was now at risk.
“We know that the majority of Malaysians are currently outraged at the bullies and killers involved in the case.”
Meanwhile, a family member of a former SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha student also lodged a report in Lahad Datu on Aug 8 over defamatory claims linking their daughter to the case of Zara.
Muhd Yassin said his 16-year-old daughter had already transferred to Kolej Vokasional Lahad Datu (KVLD) in early 2025.
“My daughter studied at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha in 2022 (Form 1) to 2024 (Form 3) and transferred to KVLD early this year.
“The incident involving Almarhumah Zara Qairina occurred when my daughter was no longer studied at the school.
“But her photo was shared in a video that was uploaded by an account on Tik Tok saying she was the murderer of Zara. The video garnered more than 10,000 views and full of negative comments towards our daughter and family,” he said.
