This Gruesome Rape & Murder Is Allegedly Why Local Buses Can’t Have Heavily Tinted Windows

By Lara Kramer  •  26 Aug 2024 in True Crime

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Many have heard the tragic tale of Noor Suzaily Mukhtar, whose gruesome – and rather public –  death shocked the nation in a horrific incident that claimed her life and changed the lives of her entire family.

Disclaimer: This article includes sensitive content. Reader discretion is advised as the content may be disturbing or triggering. While these details are included to provide a comprehensive account, we acknowledge the sensitive nature of the subject matter.

It began on the morning of 7 October 2000, when Noor Suzaily left her rented home in Kampung Baru, boarding a bus to get to work at Pantai Medical Center in Klang at 7:45 a.m. She was only 24 years old at the time, a graduate of De Montfort University in the United Kingdom, and on her way to her dream job as a computer engineer. Originally from Kangar, Perlis, she was the second of four siblings.

The last person to see her leave on that fateful morning over 20 years ago was her housemate, Rosamliza Umar.

It was reported that Noor Suzaily boarded the Kiara Express bus, with the registration number WDE 4256, which was heading to Port Klang from the Klang bus terminal in Kuala Lumpur.

The bus arrived in Klang at around 8:15 a.m. Most passengers disembarked, leaving only Noor Suzaily and a Bangladeshi man who later got off at a stop before the final destination. Noor Suzaily was then the only passenger left on the bus. Tragically, she never made it to work.

The bus driver, Hanafi Mat Hassan, diverted the route and took her to Jalan Bukit Tinggi. Hanafi, aged 34 at the time, had been divorced three times and was a former convict. Police records showed he was wanted for another rape case in Mentakab, Pahang, which took place in 1988. He had also been charged with breach of trust in 1994 and convicted of robbery in Terengganu in 1996. Hanafi, who was from Bachok, Kelantan, had started working for the bus company just ten days before the incident.

One witness, A. Devan, an 18-year-old student who was cycling to his tuition classes at the time, noticed something amiss when he saw a bus along Lorong Pegaga in Klang. He noted that he had spotted a topless woman inside the bus slamming her hands against the slightly tinted passenger window in a panic.

The bus driver, Hanafi,  spotted Devan and firmly ordered him to leave. Hanafi then decided to begin driving away while Devan attempted to chase after the vehicle. It was not long before three other passersby joined him: A motorcyclist, a man in his 50s, and a driving instructor. Reports state that the four of them followed the bus until it reached the roundabout at Taman Chi Liung before making a turn onto Jalan Sambau.

Devan approached the bus and saw Hanafi walking toward the driver’s seat, lowering his trousers. Upon seeing the four men, Hanafi quickly continued to drive off toward the Taman Chi Liung roundabout.

Reports later revealed that Hanafi had tied Noor Suzaily’s hands with her headscarf, raped, and sodomised her, before used the same headscarf to strangle her to death. He then discarded Noor Suzaily’s nude and lifeless body near a construction site along Jalan Bukit Tinggi, and drove away.

The public discovered her body later that afternoon and immediately alerted the police. When found, the headscarf was still around her neck, and one of her shoes was hanging from her foot. She had no identification on her at the time.

Noor Suzaily’s body was then taken to Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, where an autopsy confirmed her rape, sodomy and death via strangulation. The report also showed that she had suffered 44 injuries, including a broken neck.

Hanafi was arrested three days later, around 2:45p.m., at the Port Klang bus terminal. Five hours after his arrest, Hanafi led the police to the Klang Utara bus terminal, where he pointed out to the the drain where he had discarded the victim’s handbag, which contained her personal documents. The handbag was indeed  still there.

The police were able to identify the body as that of Noor Suzaily’s. Hanafi was subsequently charged in the Shah Alam High Court with the rape and murder of Noor Suzaily on 1 November 2000. He pleaded not guilty.

The trial began in the High Court in early 2001, calling 55 witnesses and spanning 62 days. The Shah Alam High Court found Hanafi guilty of murder and sentenced him to death by hanging, which was initially scheduled for 26 April 2006. He was also sentenced to 20 years in prison and received 12 strokes of the cane for the rape charge. It was reported that Hanafi had a smirk on his face while his charges were being read to him at court.

After an eight-year wait for justice, Hanafi exhausted his final appeal in the Federal Court on 12 December 2006. He ultimately faced capital punishment on 18 December 2008 at Kajang Prison.

Several allegations followed the case. Among them were that Noor Suzaily’s murder what was led local authorities to outlaw heavily tinted windows on Malaysian-owned buses. Another claim states that before his execution, Hanafi had ordered a gadis sunti, or a prepubescent young girl, as his final wish.

JUICE extends our heartfelt wishes for justice and peace to her family, as well as to all those affected by this tragic incident.