JALAN TURI TRIPLE MURDER

The Jalan Turi murders refer to a horrific crime that occurred on April 23, 1992, in a bungalow located in Taman Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. The case remains one of the most chilling in Malaysian history due to the nature of the killings and the disposal of the bodies.

The Incident

The victims were members of an Indian-American family and their domestic helper. At the time of the attack, the father, Rakesh Talwar (a director at Colgate-Palmolive), was away on a business trip in London.

1. Kabir Talwar, 11 years old - son

2. Arjun Talwar, 7 years old - son

3. Natalia Fernandes - Filipino Maid

The matriarch, Suneeta Talwar (38), was also attacked but managed to escape the house and seek help.

The Crime and Discovery

The perpetrator was the family's security guard, Ariffin Agas (25), who had only been working for the family for three days.

• The Attack: Ariffin used a wooden chopping board and stones to bludgeon the victims to death.
• Disposal: After the killings, he threw the bodies into the bungalow's septic tank (sewage manhole), where they were found stacked on top of each other.
• The Survivor: Suneeta was hit on the forehead but managed to flee. Her testimony was crucial in the subsequent trial.

Legal Outcome

Ariffin Agas was arrested the same day. During his trial, he claimed that three armed men had forced him to dispose of the bodies, but this defense was rejected.

• Verdict: He was found guilty of all three counts of murder on March 28, 1994.
• Execution: After his appeals were exhausted, Ariffin Agas was hanged on December 27, 2002, at Kajang Prison.

The bungalow on Jalan Turi was eventually demolished, but the site remains a well-known location for local "haunted house" urban legends and dark tourism.

The Jalan Turi case is a grim mix of meticulous police work and eerie folklore. Since the bungalow was eventually demolished (leaving only a vacant, overgrown lot), it transitioned from a crime scene into one of Malaysia’s most infamous "haunted" spots.

1. Forensic Evidence and Trial Details
The prosecution’s case against Ariffin Agas was watertight, largely because of the physical evidence left at the scene and the testimony of the lone adult survivor.

• The Murder Weapons: Forensic analysts recovered a wooden chopping board and stones from the scene. These items were stained with blood that matched the DNA of the two children and the maid. The blunt force trauma patterns on the victims' skulls perfectly matched the dimensions of these objects.
• The Septic Tank: The most harrowing forensic discovery was the state of the bodies in the narrow septic tank. Pathologists confirmed the victims were dead before being placed in the tank, though the cramped conditions made the retrieval of forensic samples (like fiber or hair) difficult.
• Blood Spatter Analysis: Investigators found significant blood spatter in the living area and kitchen, which contradicted Ariffin’s claim that "masked intruders" had committed the crime while he was helpless. The trail of blood showed a singular, systematic movement through the house.
• Suneeta’s Testimony: Suneeta Talwar’s eyewitness account was the "nail in the coffin." Despite her head injury, she positively identified Ariffin as the sole attacker who struck her before she fled the house.

2. Urban Legends and "Haunting" Rumors

After the bungalow was abandoned and eventually torn down, the site became a magnet for "paranormal investigators" and thrill-seekers.

• The "Shadow Children": For years, neighbors and passersby claimed to see the silhouettes of two young boys standing at the upper-floor windows or playing in the overgrown garden at night.
• The Crying Maid: Local lore suggests that the sound of a woman crying or pleading for mercy could be heard coming from the back of the property near where the septic tank used to be.
• The "Heavy" Atmosphere: Even after demolition, visitors to the vacant lot on Jalan Turi often report a sudden drop in temperature or an overwhelming sense of "heaviness" and anxiety upon stepping onto the land.
• The Vanishing Gate: Before the house was fully cleared, there were stories of people seeing the front gates open and close on their own, as if welcoming visitors into the derelict home.

Current Status

Today, the site is a vacant lot hidden by thick trees and undergrowth. While the physical structure is gone, the stigma of the 1992 tragedy remains so strong that the land has remained undeveloped for decades, despite being in one of Kuala Lumpur's most expensive residential areas (Bangsar).

Google Gemini AI

24 January 2026: 2.47 p.m

MOUNT JERAI'S MYSTICAL MYTHS AND LEGENDS

Mount Jerai (Gunung Jerai) in Kedah is one of Malaysia’s most mystical landmarks. Because it stands isolated on a flat plain and was once an island (Pulau Serai), it has served as a beacon for sailors and a center for spiritual legends for over a thousand years.

Here are the most prominent myths and legends surrounding Mount Jerai:

1. The Legend of Raja Bersiong (The Fanged King)

Perhaps the most famous legend of Kedah, Raja Bersiong was a king of the ancient Bujang Valley civilization at the foot of the mountain.

• The Bloodlust: Legend says a cook accidentally cut his finger while preparing the king’s favorite spinach curry. The king found the dish unusually delicious and demanded to know why. Upon discovering it contained human blood, he developed a craving for it.
• The Fangs: As he continued to consume human blood, sharp fangs grew from his jaw.
• The Flight: Eventually, his subjects revolted against his cruelty. He is said to have fled to Mount Jerai and hidden in the thick forests. Local folklore suggests he eventually pulled out his fangs and threw them away (giving name to places like Baling), or that his spirit still haunts the mountain.

2. Sang Kelembai and Batu Kapal (The Stone Ship)

High on the mountain sits a massive boulder known as Batu Kapal, which remarkably resembles the hull of a capsized ship.

• The Curse: According to myth, this was once the actual ship of Maharaja Merong Mahawangsa. It was turned to stone by Sang Kelembai, a giant or forest spirit in Malay folklore who possessed the power to turn anything she spoke to into stone.
• Spiritual Warning: Elders often warn visitors not to point or speak loudly near the rock, as the "spirits of the ship" might take offense.

3. The Kingdom of the Orang Bunian

Mount Jerai is widely considered one of the primary gateways to the realm of the Orang Bunian (supernatural "hidden people").

• The Invisible City: Hikers and locals have long reported seeing grand wooden palaces or smelling fragrant scents in the middle of the deep forest, only for them to vanish seconds later.
• Missing Persons: There are numerous urban legends about hikers who went missing for days, only to reappear claiming they were "guests" at a beautiful wedding or in a magnificent village that doesn't exist on any map.

4. Padang Tok Sheikh and the First Azan

Near the peak is a clearing called Padang Tok Sheikh, named after Sheikh Abdullah bin Sheikh Ahmad bin Sheikh Jaafar Qumiri.

• The Conversion: In the 12th century, Tok Sheikh is said to have converted the 9th King of Kedah (Maharaja Derbar Raja) to Islam.
• The Sacred Well: It is believed that the first Azan (call to prayer) in the Malay Peninsula was performed at this spot. Nearby, the Telaga Tok Sheikh (Tok Sheikh’s Well) is a sacred site where the water is said to never run dry and possess healing properties.

5. Guardians and Sacred Plants

• Guardian Spirits: Locals believe the mountain is guarded by ancient deities or "Penunggu." It is common for hikers to ask for "permission" before entering the forest to avoid getting lost or "teased" by spirits.
• Mystical Herbs: Botanists have noted that Jerai has unique flora not found on the mainland. Mythologically, these are believed to be the medicinal garden of the bunian or ancient shamans, and it is said that certain "magical" herbs can only be found by those with a pure heart.

BUJANG VALLEY

The Bujang Valley (Lembah Bujang) is the richest archaeological site in Malaysia, proving that a highly sophisticated, multi-ethnic civilization existed at the foot of Mount Jerai long before the Melaka Sultanate.

Recent discoveries—including some as recent as late 2023 and 2024—have significantly pushed back the timeline of Malay history, suggesting the area was a global industrial hub as far back as 2,000 to 2,500 years ago.

1. Sungai Batu: The "Iron City" of Ancient Kedah

The discovery of the Sungai Batu Archaeological Complex (just 6km from the main museum) changed everything.

• Oldest in Southeast Asia: Excavations revealed iron-smelting sites and a clay brick monument dating as far back as 110 AD, with some carbon dating suggesting activity as early as 788 BC. This makes it older than Angkor Wat and Borobudur.
• Global Industrial Hub: Archaeologists found dozens of iron-smelting furnaces and tuyeres (nozzles for blowing air into furnaces). The quality of iron produced here was of "global standard" and was exported to the Roman Empire and China.
• The Ancient Jetty: Remnants of a brick jetty along a dried-up river branch show that large merchant ships once sailed directly into the valley to trade.

2. The 2023-2024 Discovery: Bukit Choras Stupa

In late 2023 and mid-2024, a major breakthrough occurred at Bukit Choras, a small hill north of the main valley:

• Life-sized Buddha Statues: Two remarkably well-preserved, life-sized stucco statues of Buddha were unearthed. Stucco (a type of plaster) was previously thought to be rare in this region, typically found in Java or India.
• Unstuck in Time: This site is estimated to be 1,200 years old (approx. 8th or 9th century AD). The discovery is unique because it was found "in situ" (undisturbed), providing a rare look at Ancient Kedah’s religious sophistication.

3. The "Candi" (Ancient Temples)

More than 50 temple ruins (called candi) have been identified throughout the valley.

• Candi Bukit Batu Pahat: The most famous and largest temple, built around the 6th century AD. It was a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, evidenced by the discovery of stone reliquaries and gold foil images of Nandi (the sacred bull).
• Architectural Mix: The temples show a blend of Pallava (South Indian) and local indigenous architecture, proving that the local population didn't just "copy" foreign styles but adapted them.

4. Trade Artifacts: The "Maritime Silk Road"

The artifacts found in the valley confirm it was a "crossroads of the world":

• Beads: Thousands of "Indo-Pacific" glass beads were found, showing the valley was a major bead-manufacturing center.
• Ceramics: Pottery and ceramics from the Chinese Tang and Song dynasties, as well as glassware from the Middle East (Persia), have been recovered.
• Inscriptions: The Buddhagupta Inscription (found in the 1800s) and various stone tablets in Sanskrit/Pallava script indicate that Buddhist monks and Indian traders were regular residents.

Summary of Timeline & Significance

Period	Key Significance
788 BC – 2nd Century AD	Early iron-smelting and proto-industrial activity at Sungai Batu.
2nd – 10th Century AD	Peak as a major port (Kataha) mentioned in Chinese, Indian, and Greek records.
11th Century AD	Attacked by the South Indian Chola Empire; later shifts toward the Melaka Sultanate era.

Google Gemini AI

22 January 2026: 9.32 p.m

HORROR : HOUSE AT SECTION 2, SHAH ALAM, SELANGOR

 

The story of the RM50 House in Section 2, Shah Alam is one of the most famous urban legends among students of UiTM Shah Alam. It centers on a double-story bungalow near the Wet World Water Park that was allegedly offered at an unbelievably low price.

The Legend: Why only RM50?

According to the viral story, a group of eight university students looking for off-campus housing found a spacious bungalow. The landlord offered a deal that seemed too good to be true:

• Rental: Only RM50 per month.
• Deposit: Only RM50.
• The Condition: The landlord strangely advised them not to bring too many belongings, claiming it would be "easier for them when they inevitably move out soon."

The Hauntings

The horror begins almost immediately after they move in. Common elements of the tale include:

• The Ara Tree: A massive Ara tree (often associated with spirits in Malay folklore) grew right next to the house, its branches reaching into the upper-floor windows.
• The "Invisible" Roommates: One student reported seeing his friends watching a DVD in the living room, only to realize later that none of them had been home at the time.
• Physical Attacks: Tales of students being dragged by their feet while sleeping or hearing heavy furniture being moved in empty rooms.
• The Apparition: Sightings of a woman in white with long hair perched on the Ara tree branches, peering into the rooms.

The Truth: Fact or Fiction?

While the story has terrified netizens for years, it has largely been debunked:

• The "Confession": In 2021, on the popular horror podcast Malam Seram, a man came forward claiming to be the original author of the story. He admitted that the entire tale was fictional, written purely for entertainment on a blog years ago.
• The House Today: Urban explorers and YouTubers who have visited the alleged location in Section 2 found that the "haunted bungalow" was either a normal residence or has since been renovated and occupied by new families who report no such disturbances.
• Market Reality: In Section 2, Shah Alam, a bungalow would typically rent for thousands of ringgit. The "RM50" price tag is a classic horror trope used to signal that a property is "cursed."

Despite being a hoax, the story remains a staple of Malaysian "creepypasta" and serves as a cautionary tale for students: if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Google Gemini AI

22 January 2026: 2.35 p.m

ADMIRAL OSBORN'S PONTIANAK ENCOUNTER

Admiral Sherard Osborn’s encounter with a Pontianak (referred to in his journals as an "Untoo" or spirit) is one of the most famous supernatural anecdotes from the colonial era in Malaya.

The event took place in 1838 while Osborn, then a young midshipman, was commanding a gunboat during the Blockade of Quedah (Kedah). He recorded the incident in his memoir, Quedah; or, Stray Leaves from a Journal in Malayan Waters.

The Encounter

While anchored near the coast of Kedah, Osborn’s Malay crew and his interpreter, Jamboo, became visibly terrified, claiming they saw a malevolent spirit. Osborn, initially skeptical and dismissive of what he called "nonsensical tales," was eventually persuaded to look for himself.

Key details of the sighting:

• The Appearance: Osborn described seeing a figure that resembled a woman dressed in white drapery, similar to the style worn by Hindoo women.
• The Movement: The figure emerged from the dark shade of the forest and moved slowly across patches of white sand in the moonlight, roughly 300 yards away.
• Osborn’s Reaction: Despite his rational British naval training, he admitted that an "odd tremor" ran through his frame upon seeing the figure. He rubbed his eyes to ensure it wasn't an illusion, but the form remained visible as it crossed another opening in the forest.
• The Crew's Reaction: The Malay crewmen reacted with traditional protective gestures—the interpreter called upon a Romish saint, while the Malay sailors spat vigorously to ward off the "unclean" spirit.

Historical Context

In Malay folklore, the Pontianak is the ghost of a woman who died during childbirth, often depicted as a pale figure in white. Osborn’s account is significant because:

• Rare Validation: It is a rare instance of a high-ranking British officer (who later became an Admiral and Arctic explorer) documenting a personal "sighting" of a local mythological entity rather than just dismissing it as hearsay.
• Cultural Insight: His journals show a deep respect for his Malay crew, and this story highlights how European rationalism collided with the spiritual realities of the Malay Peninsula during the 19th century.

BRITISH OFFICERS VIEWED MALAY FOLKLORE

In the 19th century, British officers’ views on Malay folklore were a complex mix of scientific curiosity, paternalistic skepticism, and, occasionally, genuine fascination.

While officers like Admiral Osborn initially dismissed local spirits as "nonsensical tales," many colonial administrators became the first to formally document Malay mythology for a Western audience. Their perspectives generally fell into three distinct categories:

1. The "Orientalist" Scholar-Administrators

High-ranking officials often viewed folklore as a key to "unlocking" the Malay mind to better govern the population. They treated myths and magic as artifacts to be collected and categorized.

• Sir Frank Swettenham: In his book Malay Sketches (1895), he described the Malay person as "fatalistic" and "very superstitious." He viewed folklore as a charming but "primitive" trait that defined the native character.
• Sir Hugh Clifford: Author of In Court and Kampong, Clifford was deeply fascinated by the supernatural. He wrote extensively about were-tigers (harimau jadian) and sorcery, treating them with a poetic, almost Gothic lens, though he ultimately viewed these beliefs as hurdles to "civilization."
• R.O. Winstedt: Later in the century, Winstedt took a more academic approach, theorizing that Malay magic was a "complex system" that layered Islamic, Hindu, and indigenous animist beliefs atop one another.

2. Rationalism vs. The Unexplained

Most officers arrived with a 19th-century "Enlightenment" mindset, prioritizing logic and science. However, the dense, unfamiliar jungles of Malaya often shook this confidence.

• The "Odd Tremor": As seen with Admiral Osborn, many officers recorded moments where their rationalism faltered. They would document sightings of "white figures" or unexplained phenomena in their journals, often balancing the description with a disclaimer that they must have been tired or deceived by the light.
• Practical Respect: Even if they didn't believe in the spirits themselves, officers quickly learned to respect the taboos (pantang-larang) of their crews. Ignoring a "haunted" stretch of river could lead to mutiny or total desertion, so officers often allowed for local rituals to ensure order.

3. Folklore as "Traditional Law"

British officials often conflated folklore with Adat (customary law). They saw spirits and magic not just as stories, but as the moral framework that kept Malay society structured before British intervention.

• They viewed the Bomoh (shaman) as a community leader whose influence was sometimes more powerful than the local chief.
• By the late 1800s, the British policy of "Non-Interference" in Malay religion and custom meant that they often left these folkloric practices alone, provided they didn't interfere with trade or tax collection.

Summary of Perspectives

Officer Type	View of Folklore	Primary Goal
The Skeptic (e.g., Osborn)	Superstitious nonsense until witnessed.	Maintaining naval discipline.
The Romantic (e.g., Clifford)	Exotic, dark, and poetic "native" truths.	Cultural immersion & storytelling.
The Scholar (e.g., Winstedt)	A hybrid of Hindu, Islamic, and Pagan layers.	Systematic categorization and study.

Admiral Sherard Osborn’s account of his encounter with the Untoo (as he transliterated the Malay word Hantu or spirit) is primarily found in Chapter XVIII (18) of his journal, titled "Jamboo Frightened by a River Spirit." The book is titled Quedah; or, Stray Leaves from a Journal in Malayan Waters (published in 1857).

The Text: The Night Sighting

In the journal, Osborn describes a humid night in December 1838 while his gunboat, the Emerald, was anchored at the mouth of the Kedah River. 

Here is a direct excerpt of the encounter:

"The mist fell for a while like small rain upon us, but afterwards... changed into fine weather, with heavy murky clouds overhead, through the intervals of which we had momentary gleams of light from a young moon...

About eleven o’clock my attention was called to the lookout-man... seated upon the bow-gun, [he] was spitting violently... and continued to do so very frequently. Presently I saw another man go up to him; he pointed in the direction of the jungle, and both repeated the conduct... I walked forward."

The Description of the Spirit

When Osborn asked his interpreter, Jamboo, what was wrong, the man was trembling. Osborn looked where they pointed and recorded:

"I saw, or threw myself I saw, a figure like that of a female, draped in white, and of the usual size, emerge from the dark shade of the jungle and move slowly across a small opening...

I rubbed my eyes, and look again: the same form passed across another opening in the trees, about three hundred yards off... An odd tremor, I am free to confess, ran through my frame."

The Interpretation

Osborn notes that his crew identified the figure as an Untoo (specifically, local tradition would identify this white-clad female spirit as a Pontianak). The crew’s reaction was one of extreme religious and superstitious dread:

• The Spitting: This was a common Malay practice to ward off "unclean" spirits.
• The Prayers: Jamboo, who was a Catholic, "invoked every saint in the calendar," while the Muslim crew members used their own protective recitations.

Osborn’s Final Thought

Even though Osborn tried to rationalize it—suggesting it might have been a "crane" or a "Malayan woman"—he admitted that the gravity of his crew’s fear and the eerie quality of the moonlit jungle made the experience impossible to forget. He ended the passage by noting that in the "wild and weird-like" atmosphere of Malaya, even a British officer could find his skepticism shaken.

Google Gemini AI

22 January 2026: 2.18 p.m