Kuldeep S. Jessy
The Star
KAJANG: The semi nude body of a 20-year-old student, believed to have been raped and strangled, was found in her house in Bandar Mahkota, Cheras here.
Tang Lai Meng, a first year business administration student at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar), Sg Long branch, was found lying on her bed with her hands tied behind her back.
She was only clad in a T-shirt while a pillowcase was found wrapped around her neck.
A police team rushed to the double-storey house at noon after receiving a report from a neighbour who saw the back grille door damaged and a window wide open.
They found Lai Meng’s body in the front room upstairs. The police team also found the front doors open indicating that her assailant or assailants could have used the keys to open the doors from inside to flee.
Lai Meng’s wallet was missing but other valuables in the house were untouched.
Later in the evening, a relative reported to the police that the girl’s car was also missing.
Kajang OCPD Asst Comm Rosli Mohd Nizam said initial investigations showed that Lai Meng who is from Menglembu, Ipoh could have been attacked seven to eight hours before her body was discovered.
“We urge her housemates to contact us to assist in the investigations,” he said.
Police were also looking for a woman in her 30’s who had made frequent visits to Lai Meng’s house.
A neighbour in his late 60’s, who did not want to be identified, said that he discovered the back grill door damaged and the window open when he was going for his morning walk at about 11am.
“I immediately contacted the police,” he said, adding that he had also noticed a man in a Silver Proton Waja frequenting the house.
In Ipoh, Lai Meng’s family who operate a restaurant business at Bandar Baru Menglembu refused to believe the bad news when informed by reporters, SYLVIA LOOI reports.
Her father, Tang Ah Weng, 46, then went to the Menglembu police station at about 3pm to enquire.
Lai Meng’s death was only confirmed after relatives called up the Kajang police station at about 4.30pm.
Earlier, Tang said the family last saw his second daughter on July 22.
“She had returned to collect her results from Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman in Kampar,” said the father of three children.
