Teoh Might Have Been Dragged, Says Witness

SHAH ALAM, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- Political aide Teoh Beng Hock might have been dragged before he was found sprawled face down on the fifth floor corridor of Plaza Masalam here in July.

Investigating officer Chief Inspector Mazli Jusoh, 31, from the Selangor police headquarters' forensic branch, told the inquest into Teoh's death on Thursday that he did not dismiss that possibility after he was shown the friction marks on the sole of Teoh's right shoe found at the scene of the incident.

Mazli agreed with the suggestion of lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, who is holding a watching brief for the Selangor government, that the friction marks had an important implication.

Malik asked again: Is it possible that the deceased could have been dragged?

Mazli: No, because normally, if a person is being dragged from behind, he would resist with his heels.

Malik: If he was dragged from the side?

Mazli: Yes.

Mazli then explained to coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas that the friction marks that exposed a piece of cloth stuck to the shoe sole was not a foreign material but was part of the shoe itself and could not be removed.

However, he admitted that he did not check the friction marks, but he did inspect the scene of the incident and found nothing that matched the material glued to the shoe.

When asked by lawyer Richard Wee, who is also holding a watching brief at the inquest, whether there was something sharp at the window on the 14th floor of the building which could cause a tear to the victim's pants, Mazli said no.

He said he also did not find any fabric threads at the window frame on the 14th floor, where the Selangor headquarters of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is located.

He testified further that the 0.6m-wide window and 0.9m in height from the floor could be easily climbed over, but he found no shoe marks on the window frame and its glass pane during inspection.

He said as the window frame and pane were dusty, the result from the dusting method for finger prints was negative.

Earlier, the coroner was shown the case exhibits taken from the scene of the incident by the forensic team. These included a pair of white pants torn at the back and with dry blood stains, shoes, a wristwatch band and mark samples taken from the sofa and window on the 14th floor of Plaza Masalam.

Mazli also told the inquest that during the scene inspection on July 16, he found a tooth near the victim's body, a dent mark on the floor where the body was found, and a dent mark on the window frame and indication of a broken window latch on the 14th floor.

Teoh, 30, the political aide to Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah was found dead on the 5th floor of Plaza Masalam on July 16 after giving his statement to the Selangor MACC in its investigation into alleged misuse of state allocations.

The inquest continues in the afternoon.