l Mohd Dzuraidi (second right) consoles Mesa (second left) and his wife at Sibu Airport.
SIBU: The father of the late Lance Corporal Valentino Mesa, 29, last saw his son in June during the Gawai Dayak celebration.
Mesa Ugong, 53, said Valentino – the third of his six children – would often call him to catch up on family matters or just for a casual chat.
“He never mentioned about having problems,” he told reporters when met at Sibu Airport on Thursday night.
Valentino, who had been in the police force for seven years, was found dead at the enquiry counter of the Pinggiran Subang Jaya police station in Selangor at 3.25am on Aug 31.
He had been shot at close range and stabbed with a sharp object, according to Selangor police chief Datuk Mazlan Mansor.
Police in Selangor have arrested a 34-year-old man, who hails from Sibu, in connection with the case.
Mesa, meanwhile, said he received the shocking news from his other son, who found out about the incident by Valentino’s wife.
“Initially, we wanted to fly to Kuala Lumpur to find out more about what had happened, but decided to stay here instead after we were told that Valentino’s body would be sent back to Sarawak,” he said.
The casket arrived here at 9.35pm on Thursday and was received by about 200 people comprising family members and relatives, friends and members of the police force.
Deputy state police commissioner Datuk Pahlawan Mohd Dzuraidi Ibrahim led his men in giving the final salute to Valentino.
The body was then taken to Pakan for the funeral, which is expected to be held tomorrow.