Mum Avoids Steam Iron, Haunted By Son’s Torturous 2017 Death

By Lara Kramer  •  04 Jan 2024 in News

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In a heart-wrenching tragedy that unfolded six years ago, Zulfarhan Osman, a 21-year-old college student, met a gruesome demise, tortured to death with a steam iron.

This occurred when a group of students had accused him of stealing a laptop. When he denied the allegations, Zulfarhan was reportedly beaten up and tortured with a steam iron, rubber pipe, clothes hanger, and belt.

The perpetrators, six in total, were sentenced to 18 years in prison in late 2021. Harian Metro reports that Zulfarhan’s family, particularly his mother, Hawa, continues to grapple with the unimaginable loss.

The grief-stricken mother finds even simple tasks challenging, as the murder weapon, a steam iron, has become a painful reminder of the torture endured by her eldest child. The trauma runs so deep that the family can’t bear to use it, paralysed by memories of Zulfarhan’s death.

In 2021, Sinar Harian reported that only one of the accused families reached out to extend apologies within the four years since the incident – noting that the lack of remorse from the others compounds the family’s anguish.

Hawa tearfully shared that whenever she gazes upon the medals Zulfarhan placed in front of his bed, she is overwhelmed with sorrow. The recollection of her son, always ready to accompany her anywhere, intensifies her emotional pain.

Although Hawa claims to have moved on and accepted her son’s death, she remains unable to find peace with the horrific circumstances of his demise. Zulfarhan was alone when he died, a fact that adds to his mother’s enduring anguish. Unyielding in her stance, Hawa asserts that she will never forgive the perpetrators for robbing Zulfarhan of his life, fervently praying for justice.

On the other hand, Zulfarhan’s father, Zulkarnain, took a different path, expressing forgiveness toward all the accused. “Only with forgiveness, I can feel relieved,” he stated following the judgment by the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

The court sentenced six of the accused to 18 years in prison on 2 November 2021 for causing the unintentional death of Zulfarhan Osman, who was a Naval Cadet Officer at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) at the time.

Beyond the haunting steam iron, the family avoids the route to Zulfarhan’s college, as the place triggers memories too painful to bear. Zulfarhan’s brutal death, inflicted with the steam iron 90 times in June 2017, has left a profound and indelible mark on his family’s lives.

While six of the perpetrators serve lengthy prison sentences, others received only three years for their roles in harming the victim.

Our deepest condolences go out to the grieving family for the profound loss of their child. Our thoughts also extend to all those affected by this tragic event.