Teen’s last wish ends in crocodile horror

KUCHING: “Build a room for me, Dad; I’ve grown up, so I won’t be sleeping in the living room anymore.”

That was the final request of Mohammad Faqrul Zaimi Jeffri, 15, the second of three siblings and believed to be a victim of a crocodile attack in the Lubak Bodo Besar river at Samariang on Saturday (Dec 23).

Jeffri Hamdan, 39, Faqrul’s father, recounted these poignant details at the scene of the tragedy. Just a day earlier, they were together at their Kampung Moyan Laut home in Asajaya. Jeffri was unaware that it would be their last encounter.

Unexpectedly for Jeffri, his son ventured far from home. They had planned a family trip to Kuching, but Faqrul, passionate about fishing, had other ideas. Jeffri recalled always supervising his son’s fishing trips and ensuring he knew the locations.

Family members pointed to the scene where the victim was attacked by a crocodile. Photo: Ghazali Bujang

But on the day of the incident, Faqrul left with friends for fishing without specifying their destination.

“In the morning, he mentioned going fishing to his mother, but didn’t give the usual details. Later, I was stunned to receive a call about the crocodile attack and it was even more surprising that the incident occurred in Samariang,” Jeffri said, still reeling from the shock.

He immediately rushed to the site from Telaga Air, arriving around 4.30 pm. The scene was grim, with only Faqrul’s shirt and a flip-flop found, believed to be left behind as he descended into the river to untangle a net.

This incident is unprecedented at the Lubak Bodo Besar river’s jetty. Reports indicate Faqrul was attacked by a large crocodile while trying to free the net, accompanied by four friends at the time of the incident.