Not only was the brutal murder unforgettable, but the name of the murderer, Mona Fandey, is one that all would remember. On 19 September, the New Straits Times reported that the police station that held her, her husband and their assistant would be turned into a heritage centre. The three were held there for their part in the murder of Batu Talam state assemblyman Mazlan Idris in July 1993. It was a case that shocked the nation. His body was cut into 18 pieces and buried near the couple's house in Ulu Dong.

Mona or Maznah Ismail, a bomoh, her husband Mohamed Affandi Abdul Rahman and their assistant Juraimi Hussein were jailed for two months before undergoing a two-year-trial. They were sentenced to death by the Temerloh High Court and hanged in the Kajang Prison six years later. Her cell at the Balai Polis Lama Raub in Pahang measured 1.5m by 3m, slightly bigger than a queen-size mattress. Deputy Heritage Commissioner Dr Yahya Ahmad said: "We kept every little detail. We hope the story of Mona Fandey and her gruesome deeds will live on to serve as a lesson for the future generation."

The 100-year-old heritage building has been turned into a gallery by the Heritage Department. Dr Yahya said that restoration work on it began last year and took six months to complete. He said: "Our job was to restore the building after the police station was closed in 2003." The Heritage Department is waiting for a final touch from the Royal Malaysian Police Museum team before it is opened to the public. The restoration work on this police station is a part of several ongoing projects to restore other buildings with rich history.

Last year, the department had conducted restoration work on 58 buildings, maintenance on 46 buildings and painted six buildings under its conversation project. Some RM100 million has been allocated under the Ninth Malaysia Plan for its five-year conservation projects. Dr Yahya said his department would be going full swing to bring back the glory of Malaysia's historical buildings.

To read about Mona Fandey, you can proceed to my other blog at Death Is Only The Beginning.

Alternatively, you can directly click on The Magic Of The Bomohs to read about the case too.