Malaysian student murder: 3 arrested, all known to the victim

Maniishapriet Kaur Akhara was found dead in her dormitory on Tuesday, with no signs of forced entry into the unit

Malaysian police have arrested three suspects in connection with the murder of a 20-year-old university student in Cyberjaya, the country’s flagship tech hub. The killing has sparked outrage and renewed scrutiny of campus security.

Maniishapriet Kaur Akhara was found dead in her dormitory on Tuesday, with authorities later revealing that the accommodation complex lacked basic security measures such as closed-circuit television cameras.

In a statement on Friday, Sepang district police said they had arrested a man and two women, aged between 19 and 20, believed to be involved in the killing. They were caught in the neighbouring state of Negeri Sembilan and the southern state of Johor.

“The arrests were made within 48 hours of the report being received,” district police chief Norhizam Bahaman said. All suspects are being investigated for murder, which carries the death penalty upon conviction.

Police earlier said the victim’s laptop, mobile phone, ATM card and cash were missing. The male suspect had allegedly used her card to withdraw money five or six times shortly after her death.

Maniishapriet, a psychotherapy undergraduate at the University of Cyberjaya, had been alone in the dormitory since June 21, when her five roommates left for the holidays.

Her death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head, and there were no signs of sexual assault, an autopsy revealed. All three suspects were known to the victim, police said, consistent with an earlier finding that there were no signs of forced entry into her unit.

Manisshapriet’s murder is the latest in a string of disturbing crimes in Cyberjaya.

Last September, a 71-year-old woman was raped and robbed in the stairwell of a flat building by a 25-year-old man. A year earlier, police detained three Indian nationals in connection with a separate murder case near the Cyberjaya lake.

On Thursday, the university said it was working closely with security experts to enhance safety protocols, and cooperating fully with the police investigation.

The statement followed an outpouring of concern from students living in nearby flats, who cited poor lighting in public areas and the absence of a proper guest check-in system. Viral social media posts decried the lack of safety, with one widely shared message reading: “We are not safe!”

“The safety of our students, their families and the surrounding community remains our utmost priority,” the university said.