MELAKA — A Singapore man was charged in the magistrate’s court in Melaka on Thursday (Oct 24) with the gruesome murder of his wife and stepson, whose body parts were found in the bushes in the Krubong industrial area near here.

Shahrul Nizam Zuraimy, who was clad in a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans, appeared calm when he was produced before magistrate Muhammad Nazrin Ali Rahim.

The 31-year-old grass cutter was charged with murdering Norfazera Bidin, 27, and Muhammad Iman Ashraf Abdullah, 11, in a house in Taman Merdeka Jaya, Batu Berendam in Melaka between 9pm on Oct 6 and 1am the following day.

No plea was recorded from the accused, who was charged with committing both offences under Section 302 of Malaysia's Penal Code for murder.

Shahrul Nizam, who was unrepresented, nodded his head after the charge was read to him by the court interpreter.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Anis Najwa Nazari did not offer any bail since the offences were non-bailable.

It was reported that another grass cutter, who was working along the shoulder of the main road near the industrial area at Kampung Ladang, stumbled upon eight separate human body parts strewn along his grass cutting route at 4pm on Oct 10.

Following the shocking discovery, the 37-year-old immediately lodged a report at the Tanjung Minyak police station in Melaka.

Melaka police chief Datuk Mat Kasim Karim said a suspect, who was believed to be related to the woman, was detained by the Singaporean authorities there the following day.

The suspect was believed to have stabbed the woman to death with a kitchen knife in the rented house following an argument.

Upon realising that his stepson had witnessed the act, the suspect allegedly killed the boy, too. The boy is the oldest of the woman’s four children from a previous marriage.

The man allegedly chopped up the bodies with a parang and discarded the parts at two locations. The victims’ heads were reportedly stashed in the house attic.

Police sources said the body parts were discarded 7km from the house, a 14-minute drive by car.

The victims’ remains were given a proper burial at the Bertam-Malim Muslim Cemetery on Monday. NEW STRAITS TIMES