
Cyberjaya condo murder: Students claim poor security at residence
CYBERJAYA: A sense of disbelief and unease hangs over students at the condominium where a 20- year-old university student, identified only as Maniisha, was found murdered in her unit on Tuesday.
Many residents said they only found out about the murder through social media.
"I only knew about it because it went viral on X. I didn't see the police, just a group of security guards. We weren't told anything by the management. They don't really care about security," a 21-year-old local student told the New Straits Times yesterday.
Another student shared similar frustrations.
"It's not safe to walk alone here, especially for a woman. People can just come and go," she said.
Although some blocks are gated, students said the security was largely superficial, with features either broken or poorly enforced.
Two 20-year-old nursing students said they had neither seen any police presence nor received any communication from the building management or their university.
"Security here is poor. They don't properly check who comes and goes," one of them said.
A student from Sudan, 19, said he only learnt about the case through videos shared online.
"The Arab community at my university warned us to be careful and to keep our doors locked. They said someone might knock, then rob or even kill," he added.
Another local male student said he was shocked upon learning about the case.
"It's too quiet a place for a murder to happen and for no one to be talking about it," he said.
During interviews outside the building, a security guard approached the reporter and said permission was required to photograph the premises.
When the reporter attempted to speak to another resident, the guard instructed the student to walk away.
Later, as a local female student tried to point out the block where the incident had allegedly occurred, a guard on a motorcycle intervened, told the reporter to leave and warned the student.
The NST is attempting to contact the condominium's management for a response.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri extended her condolences to the victim's family. In a Facebook post, she said she visited the victim's family members and spent some time speaking with them.
A government backbencher has urged the Higher Education Ministry to review and boost safety protocols at student accommodations.
Bandar Kuching member of parliament Dr Kelvin Yii yesterday said the incident had raised serious concerns about student safety.
"This incident must serve as a wake-up call to both educational institutions and authorities responsible for student welfare."
Bernama reported that the Higher Education Ministry had reminded both public and private higher education institutions to always comply with standard operating procedures set by their respective universities to boost safety and welfare aspects of students.
"This is to ensure comprehensive protection for students."
The ministry said it was committed to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure every higher education institution maintains a safe, conducive and responsible environment for students' well-being.
The university where the victim was studying had pledged to tighten safety protocols on campus and at its residential facilities .
In a statement, the university expressed deep sorrow over the incident and extended condolences to the student's family and members of the university community.

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New Straits Times
2 days ago
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New Straits Times
3 days ago
- New Straits Times
Cyberjaya condo murder: Students claim poor security at residence
CYBERJAYA: A sense of disbelief and unease hangs over students at the condominium where a 20- year-old university student, identified only as Maniisha, was found murdered in her unit on Tuesday. Many residents said they only found out about the murder through social media. "I only knew about it because it went viral on X. I didn't see the police, just a group of security guards. We weren't told anything by the management. They don't really care about security," a 21-year-old local student told the New Straits Times yesterday. Another student shared similar frustrations. "It's not safe to walk alone here, especially for a woman. People can just come and go," she said. Although some blocks are gated, students said the security was largely superficial, with features either broken or poorly enforced. Two 20-year-old nursing students said they had neither seen any police presence nor received any communication from the building management or their university. "Security here is poor. They don't properly check who comes and goes," one of them said. A student from Sudan, 19, said he only learnt about the case through videos shared online. "The Arab community at my university warned us to be careful and to keep our doors locked. They said someone might knock, then rob or even kill," he added. Another local male student said he was shocked upon learning about the case. "It's too quiet a place for a murder to happen and for no one to be talking about it," he said. During interviews outside the building, a security guard approached the reporter and said permission was required to photograph the premises. When the reporter attempted to speak to another resident, the guard instructed the student to walk away. Later, as a local female student tried to point out the block where the incident had allegedly occurred, a guard on a motorcycle intervened, told the reporter to leave and warned the student. The NST is attempting to contact the condominium's management for a response. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri extended her condolences to the victim's family. In a Facebook post, she said she visited the victim's family members and spent some time speaking with them. A government backbencher has urged the Higher Education Ministry to review and boost safety protocols at student accommodations. Bandar Kuching member of parliament Dr Kelvin Yii yesterday said the incident had raised serious concerns about student safety. "This incident must serve as a wake-up call to both educational institutions and authorities responsible for student welfare." Bernama reported that the Higher Education Ministry had reminded both public and private higher education institutions to always comply with standard operating procedures set by their respective universities to boost safety and welfare aspects of students. "This is to ensure comprehensive protection for students." The ministry said it was committed to working closely with all stakeholders to ensure every higher education institution maintains a safe, conducive and responsible environment for students' well-being. The university where the victim was studying had pledged to tighten safety protocols on campus and at its residential facilities . In a statement, the university expressed deep sorrow over the incident and extended condolences to the student's family and members of the university community.