KUALA LUMPUR: Amidst the media frenzy to uncover the whereabouts of MH370, Datuk Seri Azharuddin Abdul Rahman has had his series of strange encounters since the plane went missing in 2014.
The former Department of Civil Aviation (DCA/CAAM) director-general still questioned the intentions behind them. One involving a mysterious woman and the other a mystery package.
Two months into the disappearance, Azharuddin was returning to his hotel room next to the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre.
While waiting for the elevator together with his aid, he noticed a woman wearing a hat with white blouse and a green umbrella.
"She was shorter than me and carried a paper bag.
"As we entered the lift, the woman followed and two security personnel rushed into the lift as well."
Azharuddin exited as soon as he arrived at his floor but then realised there was a commotion behind him.
"I stopped when the security guards shouted 'Stop! Stop! You cannot go!', while directing me to enter the room immediately.
"I was surprised and saw the woman being detained.
Later that night, Azharuddin went down for dinner and was told that the woman had been
"waiting for a friend", before entering the lift when he did.
He said he was only informed that the woman left when police were mentioned and until now he is clueless over the ordeal.
Another strange incident Azharuddin experienced was in 2020, six years after the disappearance.
He received a package at his residence on his birthday from an unknown "friend" but never really paid attention to the gift until later in the day.
"I didn't pay much attention initially because I was attending a ceremony.
"I opened the package and found a suitcase, with a person's picture, a name, and had written on it, 'I was stranded five years ago.'
"I checked the list of MH370 passengers and indeed that passenger's name was there."
This prompted Azharuddin to contact a friend who was an officer with Bukit Aman and was instructed to stop from doing anything further.
The next day, he said, several police officers came with the bomb disposal unit, forensic unit, and took the suitcase to the police station in Putrajaya.
"I was called to the police station to make a report and was informed that the suitcase was empty, only with a notice similar to the writing pasted on the outside of the suitcase sent from Europe through online delivery," he said.