POLICE CORPORAL YELLED FOR HELP BEFORE GOING UNDER - SCHOOL REUNION PALS

PASIR SALAK, Dec 23 (Bernama) -- The last words of the late police corporal Muhammad Taufik Sayutin, who drowned here yesterday during a swim with old school pals, were a desperate cry for help before he was swept away in the raging waters of an irrigation canal at the Changkat Lada sluice gate in Kampung Gajah.

One of the victim’s buddies, who only wanted to be known as Kijai, 39, recalled that during the outing, several other friends were already in the swift waters and the deceased was the last one to jump into the irrigation stream.

“After he (Muhammad Taufik) jumped in, he surfaced and swam hard for the banks of the canal against the current but he seemed to be tiring out fast.

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“He tried to (swim towards us) because I had just clambered up to the top of the bank. Soon after, he was worn out fighting against the raging current, (so) I hurried down the steps and the last thing I remember, he was screaming out for dear life, ‘help me’,” said Kijai at the Felcra Changkat Lada Islamic Cemetery today.

Kijai, who is also a retired soldier, said that before Taufik went under in the canal, he tried reaching out to the clutches of the flailing victim but it was in vain before the others jumped in to desperately search for him.

Kijai said that even before returning to Changkat Lada, the deceased had eerily mentioned his longing to swim in the irrigation canal in the village and the night before the incident, Muhammad Taufik again rattled about it.

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“He was harping on the same thing, until his parting shot on the matter, that if ‘you all don't want to swim, it's okay, I will with my children,” Kijai said.

Before the fateful dip at about 2 pm yesterday, Kijai said he and the deceased had attended the reunion of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Changkat Lada where they also played football.

“(During) the game, his disposition seemed normal, (but just that) his playing was not up to par as we used to, now he was lazy to chase the ball. We thought that he must have grown old and no longer as fit,” he said.

The late Muhammad Taufik was laid to rest at the Felcra Changkat Lada Muslim Cemetery here at around 1.10 pm today, leaving behind his widow Azlane Mat, 42, who is also a police officer and three sons aged 15, 13, and 8.

Yesterday’s media reported that the late police corporal, who was attached to the operations room of the Melaka Tengah district police headquarters (IPD), was away for a school reunion before drowning in a swim outing.

The victim's body was found today at 4.55 am near the banks about three metres from the Fire and Rescue Control Centre (PKB), with the sad ending after a search and rescue operation was launched before dark yesterday.

-- BERNAMA