Whatsapp Message Referred To Myself, Not Son, Says Zayn Rayyan's Mother

PETALING JAYA, July 24 (Bernama) -- Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin’s mother told the Sessions Court today that a WhatsApp message saying “lantaklah nak hidup ke nak mati” (“don’t care whether to live or die”) was directed at herself and not her six-year-old son.

Ismanira Abdul Manaf, 30, said the message was sent to her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, in a moment of panic and emotional distress while searching for their missing child at Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai, on Dec 5, 2023.

“The content of hashtag eight (referring to the WhatsApp conversation) was not aimed at my son. On that day, I was anxious, frantic and distraught while searching for my missing child and desperately needed my husband’s attention.

“I sent those words, urging him to come home quickly and help me. It was about me,” she said in response to a supplementary question by her counsel, Haresh Mahadevan, on the fourth day of the defence trial in the child neglect case involving the deceased.

On April 7, prosecution witness ASP Mohd Zaidi Abu Hassan, a cybercrime analyst with the Royal Malaysia Police Forensic Lab, testified that several WhatsApp messages were retrieved from the mobile phones of two individuals linked to Zayn Rayyan.

Mohd Zaidi testified that an iPhone registered under Ismanira Abdul Manaf and a Huawei phone linked to a Google account in Zaim Ikhwan Zahari’s name were seized during the investigation into the death of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin.

He said a WhatsApp message containing the phrase “lantaklah nak hidup ke nak mati” was found and timestamped around noon on Dec 5, 2023.

Meanwhile, Ismanira’s close friend, Umi Syafiqah Rohizal, 30, testified that she had never seen the accused leave her two children, Zayn Rayyan and his younger brother, unsupervised at the playground or around their apartment complex.

The fourth defence witness said she had often seen Ismanira holding the boys' hands while walking from Block R to the motorcycle parking area between Blocks R and S.

Umi Syafiqah, who lived at the apartment from 2019 to 2024, added that she had never witnessed the couple harming, abusing, or neglecting their children.

Umi, who has known Ismanira since primary school, described her as gentle and loving. 

“I have been close friends with her since Standard Three, over 21 years. After primary school, I continued my studies in Perak before returning to live in Damansara Damai,” said Umi.

She added that they reconnected via social media in 2018, and Ismanira had also served as a bridesmaid at her wedding.

On Monday, Judge Syahliza Warnoh ordered Ismanira, 30, to enter her defence after ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against her, while acquitting and discharging her husband.

The couple was accused of neglecting their autistic son, Zayn Rayyan, in a manner likely to cause physical injury between noon on Dec 5 and 9.55 pm on Dec 6, 2023, in the vicinity of Block R, Idaman Apartment, Damansara Damai, extending to a nearby river.

They were charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to RM50,000, or both, upon conviction.

The trial resumes on Aug 4. 

-- BERNAMA