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Two individuals have been charged with the murder of Maniishapriet Kaur Akhara at the Sepang Magistrate's Court today, 10 July
The main accused, Sri Darvien Mathavan, 19, was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for the murder of the 20-year-old physiotherapy student, who was found bludgeoned to death on the morning of 24 June in her dormitory unit provided by the University of Cyberjaya.
His co-accused and girlfriend, Thineswary Devendran, also 19, was charged under Section 109 of the Penal Code for abetting the murder, read together with Section 302.
According to the charge sheet, Darvien, an odd-job worker, allegedly committed the offence between 9.11pm and 11.31pm on 23 June, while Thineswary, a university student, is accused of abetting him earlier that day at 12.30pm. Both incidents allegedly took place at Block A, Mutiara Ville, Cyberjaya, reported the New Straits Times.
No pleas were recorded from either accused, as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court
Both accused appeared separately before Magistrate Khairatul Animahtul Abd Jalani.
Darvien was dressed in a white T-shirt, while Thineswary was clad in black.
The prosecution, led by deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Raja Zaizul Farida Raja Zaharudin, did not offer bail.
Meanwhile, defence counsels M Manoharan, representing Darvien, and Mohamed Baharudeen Mohamed Ariff, representing Thineswary, requested that the case be expedited and transferred to the High Court without delay.
Manoharan stressed the need to move the matter forward, while Baharudeen noted the case's viral nature and public interest.
In response, DPP Raja Zaizul said the prosecution required time to complete document submissions to the defence before initiating a transfer.
The magistrate has fixed 11 September for the next mention of the case.
Earlier, the murder charge against the main suspect was postponed pending instructions from the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC)
The suspect and his girlfriend were initially expected to be charged at the Sepang Court on 8 July.
The suspect had allegedly stayed at the dorm unit before the killing, using an access card and keys given to him by his girlfriend.
According to police, the suspect struck Maniishapriet with a blunt object, resulting in fatal head injuries, and stole several of her belongings, including her laptop, iPhone, and ATM card.
