GUA MUSANG : The Indonesian national who was mauled to death by a tiger at Kuala Tol here, yesterday, had plans to return to his hometown.
According to Sabariah Awang, a villager who has known the victim for almost three years, the victim- only known as Syabaini- had told her of his plans.
"I have known Syabaini since 2020 as he was among my regular customers. He would stop by my sundry shop every time he went to the smallholding.
"The rubber tapper would tell me that he's saving his earnings. He wanted to bring the money back to his family in Indonesia," said the 63-year-old when contacted.
Sabariah said Syabaini told her that he would go back to Acheh as soon as he had enough saved up.
"A week before the attack, he showed a tiger's footprint near the place where he was tapping rubber.
"I told him to be careful and to not go there alone," she said.
She added that the incident shocked her and until today, she still remembers his sweet face.
"He was a nice person and kind to everyone. He respected people, especially those older than him," said Sabariah.
Another villager Che Sulaiman Che Kob, 65, said several villagers started to look for the victim after he failed to return home on Tuesday.
"We found the victim's motorcycle after arriving at the rubber estate. We also found his pants and some blood on it.
"Suspecting something amiss, we then alerted the relevant authorities," he added.
Syabaini, 36, was mauled by a tiger yesterday, bringing the tiger attack death toll in the district to three this month.
