IT has been nearly seven months since S. Kasthuribai buried her 14-year-old son, who was killed by a falling chair from the top floor of the Seri Pantai flats where they live.

But the pain of losing S. Satishwaran is as fresh as the day it happened because, Kasthuribai said, police appear to be nowhere closer to finding his killer, who could very likely be living in the same block as the family.

And for as long as the guilty party evades authorities, she will not have the closure she seeks.

“What is taking them (police) so long to find the suspect when they know the person actually lives in the same block as mine?” she told The Malaysian Insight recently.

“More than six months have passed and the police have not arrested the person who killed my son.

“I’m still suffering from his loss and the police have yet to take action.”

Kasthuribai, 45, said she would go to any extent to seek justice for her youngest son if there is no action taken by the authorities.

“I’ll not let this go. I want justice for my son. Probably I’ll hire a lawyer and I’ll take a case against the police for their inaction.”

Satishwaran was killed on January 15 when a chair was flung from the 21st floor of the low-cost flats. The chair hit the boy’s head and he died instantly from severe head injuries in the 8.15pm incident.

Kasthuri, who went back to work at a restaurant in Bangsar a month ago, said the memory of the incident remains strong and she often breaks down recalling it.

“I cannot forget what had happened to my son. It all happened in a flash and my son is no longer alive. I’ll start crying thinking about it, even when I’m at work. My colleagues will come to comfort me.

“It’s heart-breaking and we’ve not been having a peaceful life since his demise.”

Her other son S. Yogeswaran, 18, said the fondest memories he has of his brother were when they snuck out of the house to play football.

“We used to tell white lies to our mother and then go meet up with friends at the field.

“Now that he is gone, I hardly go there. It not the same any more.”

Yogeswaran hopes the person who killed Satishwaran will be caught.

“I feel very sad and alone now. I’ve lost my brother and friend.”

In March, a 23-year-old woman was arrested and remanded for three days in connection with the death of Satishwaran, but she was later released after passing a lie-detector test.

Police have also recorded statements from 43 people and voice stress analysis (VSA) was used on five suspects but the results all came back negative.

Since the incident, Kuala Lumpur City Hall also has installed safety netting over the walkway to the flats’ lifts and hired new cleaners.

Housewife Maspiah Meor Jamaludin, who has been living at the flats for 15 years, said that authorities must find the culprit.

“We don’t want a repeat of the incident here,” said the 58-year-old, who told The Malaysian Insight she felt unsafe walking on the ground floor of the flats as there are areas not covered by the safety nets and roofs.

Another resident, Mohd Yunos Radi, said the flat dwellers were still throwing things from the top floors of the flat.

He said this has become habitual since the 1960s for those living in low-cost housing areas.

“Although it is not big as a fridge or furniture, people still throw food waste, water bottles, cans and other waste here.

“The habit of throwing rubbish from top floors has become a culture for people in the low-cost housing area and it’s not a new thing. It has been happening for years,” the 88-year old said.

The Malaysian Insight is in the midst of contacting ASP Mohd Firdaus Sharil from the Pantai police station for more information on the status of the investigations into Satishwaran’s death. – July 27, 2018.