Chronology: The murder case of Cikgu Istiqomah

The disappearance of a teacher from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Kota Masai 3 in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Istiqomah Ahmad Rozi, 33, shocked the nation when the mystery was finally resolved after police confirmed that the decapitated body found on Dec 31, last year, was hers.

[Dec 26, 2023]

- Istiqomah, who was 164 centimetres tall and weighed 57 kilogrammes, went missing at around 8am.

[Dec 27, 2023]

- However, her car was found near the Lotus Kota Masai supermarket area at around 2pm, with the keys inside. Despite this, there were no signs of Istiqomah.

- Yusni, a relative of the victim, informed that the family had lodged a police report over Istiqomah's disappearance.

- Yusni also asked anyone who was at the supermarket or Eco Tropics between 10.30am and 11am on Dec 26 to get in touch with her if they have any dashcam footage.

"Please help spread the word about this case until she (Istiqomah) is found and returned to her family. May your efforts and prayers assist our family, aamiin," Yusni pleaded to the public.

[Dec 28, 2023]

- Meanwhile, a local news portal reported that Istiqomah’s husband, Mohd Yusof Mokhtar, 35, remained hopeful for his wife's return.

- Yusof, a technician, tried various methods to find his wife, including seeking help from an Islamic traditional treatment expert.

- An ustaz (religious teacher) informed him that his wife wanted to return but was being held back by "someone."

- Believing that his wife was still in the country, Yusof hoped that the person responsible would have a change of heart and return her to the family.

- Yusof shared that their eldest child, who is nine years old, understood that the mother was missing and frequently talked about missing her.

- Their two other children, aged four and six, did not fully grasp the situation and believed that their mother had been gone for work at the school.

- Yusof said a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the supermarket where Istiqomah’s car was found showed a man exiting the vehicle, but his wife was not seen.

- Yusof said he did not recognise the man, whose face was partially obscured.

- He added that on the day of the incident, he left for work at 6.30am and everything at home seemed normal.

- It was understood that it was a school holiday and Istiqomah was not working that day.

- However, when he returned home at 6pm, Istiqomah was not there and she had not informed him of any plans to go out. When he asked their children, they said their mother had gone to school.

- Yusof immediately went to the school to look for her, but the school’s security guard informed him that she had not been there.

- He also sent a message to Istiqomah via WhatsApp, but the message did not go through.

- Yusof said in the first three days after Istiqomah went missing, some messages were sent from her phone, but the way they were written did not sound like her. He also said after those messages were sent, her phone seemed to have been switched off.

- Seri Alam district police chief Superintendent Mohd Sohaimi Ishak confirmed that a report of her disappearance was received on Dec 27, 2023, at 12.36am.

- Efforts to locate Istiqomah were ongoing and the investigation was still underway.

[Dec 31, 2023]

- A woman’s body was found in a trash can discarded in a drain at Kampung Tanjung Rimau, Pulau Sebang Alor Gajah, Melaka. The identity of the body was not yet determined.

[Aug 12, 2024]

- Alor Gajah district police chief Superintendent Ashari Abu Samah confirmed that the decapitated body, missing its head, torso and hands, found on Dec 31 belonged to Istiqomah Ahmad Rozi.