Reeling from sudden loss

The Star

13-05-2025

TELUK INTAN: A heavy silence settled outside the Teluk Intan Hospital mortuary as grieving families gathered to identify the bodies of nine Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) officers killed in a tragic road accident.
The nine personnel – eight who died at the accident site on KM15 Jalan Chikus-Sungai Lampam, and one who passed away at the Teluk Intan Hospital red zone – were in an FRU vehicle when a sand-laden lorry crashed head-on into the vehicle yesterday.
Among those at the hospital was 71-year-old Pandak Rompan, who is still mourning the recent loss of his grandchild and must now also face the tragic passing of his son.
The grief-stricken Pandak said his third child Kpl Nurit, 34, who had been with the force for 15 years, was among the casualties.
'He was previously with FRU Cheras before being transferred to Sungai Senam, Ipoh. He used to commute daily from Kampar to work. Usually, he would return home on his days off,' he said.
'I knew he was on duty in Teluk Intan, but I never expected to receive news of his death.'
According to the retired police officer, the last time he saw his son was two weeks ago at their family home in Kampar.
'He was a good person, quiet and very friendly with everyone.He never gave me, his mother, or his siblings any trouble,' he said.
He added that Nurit was married and had a child who passed away five months ago due to heart complications after being critically ill for over a year.
'We just lost our grandchild, and now our son is gone too,' Pandak lamented.
The wife of Kpl Amiruddin Zabri, 38, could not hold back her tears when talking about the tragedy.
Norazian Mohd Joned, 38, a civil servant at the Kampar police headquarters, said she last met her husband on Monday afternoon, shortly before he left to carry out his duty in Teluk Intan.
The mother of three children, aged between 15 months and 12, from Gopeng said she was used to his out-of-town travel for work.
'This morning, I received information in some chat groups regarding the accident and I immediately called my husband, but the calls went unanswered.
'I called a friend of my husband's, who told me to be calm, and then he broke the news to me,' she said.
The brother of Sjn S. Perumal, 44, another personnel who died in the accident, said his older brother was supposed to take his family in his car to the Chitra Pournami festival in Teluk Intan.
Ahren, 41, a teacher, said his brother had told his wife, a nurse at Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hosp­ital, and two young children to come along to the event and that he would drive.
Perumal leaves behind two daughters aged five and seven. He had been in the police force since 2011.
Ahmad Saat, 75, the father-in-law of Kpl Mohd Pozli Jaudin, 41, said he received the news from his daughter, a teacher in a school in Ipoh.
'My son-in-law was a good man and a father of three girls aged between five and 13. I don't know what to say. It's fated,' said Ahmad, who lives in Hutan Melintang.