The Boy Who Lost Both Legs After Being Abused In A Top Tahfiz School May Lose His Arm Too

In the presence of family members, court officials, police and medical personnel, the body of 11-year-old abuse victim was unearthed for more examination, as reported by Berita Harian.

Dzuraidah Ahmad, aunt to the deceased, said, “It's true Thaqif's grave was dug open yesterday and witnessed by family members, for samples of the deceased's legs to be taken for further testing."

The Star reported that Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gaddafi, the boy who was allegedly beaten by an assistant warden of a Tahfiz school Johor, passed away at around 2.05pm today, 26 April.

Thaqif's father, 43-year-old Mohd Gaddafi Mat Karim, confirmed the news, adding that the boy passed away when the family was reciting prayers for his recovery.

It was reported earlier today that the boy was supposed to have his right arm amputated this morning, but the operation was postponed due to his heart rate and unstable condition.

Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported Federation of National Associations of al-Quran Tahfiz Institutions (Pinta) president Mohd Zahid Mahmood saying that they have seen the CCTV recording from the day of the beating and the boy was only beaten on one foot.

"It could be seen from the CCTV recording that the boy was beaten only on one sole. We obtained the information during a visit to the school and meeting with the principal and teachers."

"At this point, we believe other factors could have caused the boy’s condition. There is no need to point fingers at anybody just yet. It is not right to label all religious schools as being abusive to their students when there is no response from the other party," said Mohd Zahid as reported by FMT.

According to a report by NST this morning, Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gaddafi's operation to amputate his right arm has been postponed due to his unstable heart condition.

"The surgery to amputate his arm was supposed to be this morning. It was supposed to be done at 8am. But doctors are delaying it now because they need to wait until his heart is more stable," said the boy's aunt Dzuraidah Ahmad, 38, when speaking to NST.

The Star reported that the doctors came to the decision as there were no improvement to the condition of his arm, and that his right arm and fingers had turned black due to damaged blood cells and tissue.

"The doctors told us that the most important thing is saving the boy's life and we trust them as they tried their level best to avoid cutting off his arm earlier. We want to prevent the infection from spreading to the rest of his body and causing more problems," explained Dzuraidah to The Star.

What led to this?

According to New Straits Times (NST), Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Ghadaffi, a pupil at a privately-managed tahfiz school (Quran studies) in Kampung Lukut, Kota Tinggi, was brutally beaten by his warden three weeks ago "for making noise" in the surau at the school.

The assistant warden, a 29-year-old, who has been working at the school since last year, had reportedly whipped Thaqif and 14 other students using a rubber pipe hose.

"I never took him to get traditional medicine (as was reported). I went to the clinic, as he had a fever at the time. Doctors at the clinic prescribed him medicine for his fever," said the boy's mother, Felda Wani Ahmad.

Only when the fever didn't subside, Felda took him to the hospital for treatment.

Johor Health, Environment, Education, and Information committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said that the Thaqif's legs had to be amputated to avoid infection and that the boy was still in coma following the surgery.

It was reported that the boy's kidneys were starting to fail, which had forced the doctors to put him under dialysis treatment.

"Yesterday evening, the doctor told us there's a blood clot in his left shoulder, and he's under observation at the High Dependency Ward.

"If the blood clot is still there by 6am tomorrow (25 April), he may lose his arm," said the boy's aunt, Nurul Nabila Ahmad, 30, as reported by NST.

Thaqif is currently under induced coma to stabilise his condition at the High Dependency Ward in the hospital.

Meanwhile, Bernama reported Nabila saying that the swelling on Thaqif's face has receded following the dialysis treatment.

The doctors have given Thaqif blood thinners and are closely monitoring the condition of his arm.

In a report by The Star yesterday, 24 April, the boy's mother said that he was responding well to the operation on his right arm.

"He underwent dialysis as his kidneys were also damaged and during the operation on Saturday night, doctors took some samples and saw that the arm had started to change colour from black to reddish."

"Doctors told us that it was a positive sign as it showed that his nerves were responding to the treatment. Hopefully, his right arm will be spared amputation," said Felda.

"We have recorded statements from the school’s principal, staff and fellow students," said Kota Tinggi police chief ACP Rahmat Othman, when speaking to Bernama.

Bernama reported that the authorities also found out that the suspect is a convicted felon who served time a few years ago.

He was convicted of theft and was jailed for 30 months from the date he was arrested on 22 May 2014, said the police chief.

"Our investigations showed that this 'madrasah' was among the best as they had followed the rules. Because of that, they were able to get a five-year operating licence when they registered this year," said Johor religious committee chairman Abd Mutalip Abd Rahim, as reported by Harian Metro, according to Malay Mail Online.

He also informed that no actions have been taken against the school and it is still operating as usual as the investigation into the abuse is still ongoing.