KUALA KANGSAR, May 2 — The family of a 19-year-old student found stabbed to death 61 times in Kampung Simah, Ketereh, Kelantan, asks for space to grieve in peace.

A visit to the victim’s family home in Kampung Batu Jarau here revealed a solemn silence, with only her closest relatives present.

“We’d like some privacy. We need some quiet because we’re exhausted and haven’t slept since yesterday.

“When we’re ready, we’ll talk to the media,” said the victim’s uncle, who didn’t want to be named.

The remains of Nurfisya Zulkifly were laid to rest at 5.30 am today at Kampung Periang Muslim Cemetery here, following a post-mortem at the Forensic Unit of Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in Kota Bharu last night.

Yesterday, the victim’s brother, Mohd Faris Zulkifly, 21, said the family came to Kelantan last Saturday to drop off Nurfisya for her new semester, only to be informed about the tragic news at noon.

Nurfisya Zulkifly, 19, was found with 61 stab wounds near a paddy field in Ketereh, Kelantan on May 1, 2026, a week after returning to her college campus for a new semester. She was buried at 5.30am May 2 at Kampung Periang Muslim Cemetery in Kuala Kangsar, Perak. — Picture from Facebook/Fuziah Salleh

Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said that the victim was believed to have been murdered elsewhere before her body was dumped near the padi fields in the village, adding that the case is being probed under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

Four suspects, three men aged 19 to 66 and a 60-year-old woman, were remanded this morning to assist with the investigation. — Bernama

KOTA BHARU, May 2 — Police have detained two more suspects to help with the probe into the discovery of a 19-year-old woman’s body with 61 stab wounds near paddy fields in Kampung Simah, Ketereh, early yesterday morning.

This brings the total number of suspects in the case to four.

Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said a team from the Kelantan Contingent Police Headquarters’ Criminal Investigation Department, working with Kota Bharu district police headquarters, launched a raid from 4.40 pm yesterday until 2.30 am today.

He said the raid targeted two separate locations, Taman Murni on Jalan Abdul Kadir Adabi and Kampung Belukar Luas in Ketereh.

“The raid resulted in the arrest of three men aged 19 to 66 and a 60-year-old woman.

“All those arrested had no prior criminal records, and their urine tests came back negative for drugs,” he said in a statement today.

During the operation, police also seized a knife believed to have been used in the incident, along with two cars, two mobile phones, a set of clothing and a pair of slippers, among other things.

He said police will apply for a remand order at Kota Bharu Court, while the investigation continues to finalise the case papers.

“The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder. If convicted, offenders face the death penalty or 30 to 40 years in jail plus at least 12 strokes of the cane,” he said.

Regarding the discovery of the victim’s body, Mohd Yusoff said his team received information about it at 12.35 am on May 1.

He said the victim was confirmed dead at the scene, with the body later sent to the Forensic Department at Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital here for further processing.

“The post-mortem at 9.30 am yesterday confirmed the victim died from multiple stab wounds to the chest,” he said. — Bernama

KOTA BHARU, May 2 — The family of a 19-year-old college student found with 61 stab wounds in Kampung Simah, Ketereh, yesterday morning is struggling to come to terms with her loss after sending her back to campus last week.

The victim’s brother, Mohd Faris Zulkifly, 21, said the family had travelled to Kelantan on Saturday to send his sister, Nurfisya Zulkifly, 19, for the new semester.

“We received a call from the police at 12.30 pm informing us that she had passed away, but we could not bear to hear further details at that moment and ended the call.

“Without delay, we left Kuala Kangsar, Perak, for Kelantan,” he told reporters at the Forensic Unit of Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II (HRPZ II) last night.

He said the family was deeply saddened as they had only just sent her off last week, but now had to make arrangements for her funeral.

Mohd Faris said the family was initially unaware of the cause of death and only learned that the victim had been stabbed after reading news reports while passing through Jeli this evening.

“Upon learning what had actually happened, our parents could not stop crying as they were shocked.

“She did not show any unusual behaviour before the incident, but during her recent visit home, she expressed a desire to enjoy various favourite foods, including ayam penyet,” he said.

Yesterday, Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said the victim was from Perak and the case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code. — Bernama

KOTA BHARU, May 2 — Police have confirmed that the body of a 19-year-old woman found with 61 stab wounds near a padi field in Kampung Simah, Ketereh, early yesterday morning, is that of a college student.

Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said the victim was a semester three student at a local college.

Speaking to Bernama last night, he said police are actively tracking down suspects involved in the case.

He added that the motive of the murder is still under investigation. — Bernama

KOTA BHARU, May 1 — A woman’s body with 61 stab wounds was found in a paddy field in Kampung Simah, Ketereh, early this morning.

Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said police received a call from the public regarding the discovery of the body at about 12.30 am.

He said the case has been classified as murder and is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

“An initial examination by the police forensic team found a total of 61 stab wounds on the victim’s body, from the face down to the legs.

“Most of the injuries were concentrated on the right side of the victim’s body. Preliminary investigations suggest that the victim was believed to have been killed at another location before the body was dumped in the area,” he said in a statement today.

Mohd Yusoff said the crime scene was in a dark paddy field with no street lighting, located about 47 metres from the nearest residence.

Following the discovery, the K9 Unit was deployed to conduct detection operations within a radius of about 30 metres around the area.

Commenting on the victim’s condition, he said no identification documents were found.

However, the victim was wearing a necklace bearing the inscription ‘SYAA’, along with a bracelet on the left wrist and a ring on the middle finger of the right hand.

He said the victim was clad in a black long-sleeved top and black trousers. Several other items were also found at the scene, including a pair of glasses and a light purple shawl.

“The victim’s body was taken to the Forensic Department of Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital for a post-mortem.

“However, the victim’s identity was later established through fingerprint verification conducted by the National Registration Department,” he said, urging those with information on the incident to contact investigating officer ASP Ganesan at 012-5691204. — Bernama