Kota Kinabalu, September 2025

The Coroner’s Court in the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir has been told that 21 police case evidence bags containing handwritten documents related to the case have now been transferred to the Chemistry Department in Petaling Jaya for further forensic analysis, including sheets of paper containing handwriting, exercise books, workbooks, and notebooks belonging to the late Zara Qairina.

This development was revealed by document examiner Nurul Atiqah Mohd Noh of the Forensic Science Analysis Centre of the Chemistry Department, who testified as the second witness in the inquest.

Nurul Atiqah, 44, has 21 years of experience as a science officer at the Chemistry Department. Her duties include receiving cases, preparing chemical reports, and examining disputed documents through analysis of signatures, handwriting, typewriting, alterations, printing processes, and paper and ink.

Atiqah, a previous recipient of VSC training from foster+freeman, explained that the handwriting in the documents was examined and compared with available samples to determine whether it belonged to the late Zara Qairina: “I examined all the handwriting and compared the disputed writings with all the sample writings”, going on to explain how she used a VSC to observe similarities and difference in the handwriting characteristics.