A police forensics expert today did not rule out the possibility that political aide Teoh Beng Hock could have been dragged before he was found dead on a fifth floor landing of a building in Shah Alam.

Selangor police forensic expert Chief Inspector Mazli Jusoh, 31, told this at the inquest proceeding after being shown friction marks on the deceased's right shoe.

NONE Mazli ( left ) also agreed with the suggestion of lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, who is holding a watching brief for the Selangor government, that the friction marks had an important implication.

Malik: Were there any chalky substance on the shoe?

Mazli: Yes

Malik: Did you investigate where the substance was from?

Mazli: No.

Malik: Do you agree that the friction marks have an important implication?

Mazli: Yes

Malik: Does this mean the deceased could have been dragged?

Mazli: No. Usually, if someone is dragged, the signs will not be on the sole of the shoes. If the person is dragged from behind, he would use the heels of his shoes to struggle.

Malik: What if he was dragged sideways? Is there a possibility?

Mazli: Yes

Mazli was testifying in an inquest set up to determine the death of Teoh whose body was found at the 5th floor landing of Plaza Masalam on July 16.

The political aide had been summoned to the Selangor MACC, located on the 14th floor of the building, on July 15 to give a witness statement.

The inquest before coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas is into its seventh day.

No shoe prints anywhere

The police officer, who went in to check the spots on the day Teoh's body was found, also agreed the inner layer of shoe was no longer intact as the sole of the right shoe was badly worn out.

NONE He had earlier said that the left shoe did not bear any sign of obvious damage as the right shoe.

Asked if he had searched the area for the inner layer of the right shoe, Mazli said that he did look for it near the window panel on the 14th floor, the fifth floor (where Teoh's body was discovered) and at the car park on the ground level, but found nothing.

Malik then asked whether there were any shoe prints on the wall or the window, to this Mazli said there were none.

The lawyer also asked if the cops had conducted a 'polylight test' (to check for blood stain or hair samples) on the sofa and carpet, to which Mazli said no.

Malik: Did you do inspect on the outer wall (the 14th floor) of the building?

Mazli: Just glanced through.

When asked by another lawyer Sreekant Pillay, who is also representing the Selangor government, Mazli said that no checks were done for fingerprints on Teoh's body, clothes and especially the belt which was torn.

Lawyer Tan Hock Chuan, who is assisting the coroner on behalf of the Attorney-General, then asked Mazli how far can the window at the 14th floor be opened for one take a look outside.

Mazli: It can be opened up to about 45 degrees.

Tan: Can you step outside the window through the opening?

Mazli: Yes, you can.

No fingerprints in window

Earlier, Mazli said that he found stains on the inner side of window from where the DAP political aide had apparently plunged to his death.

Mazli also found indentation on the window and discovered that window's handle and lock were broken.

According to Mazli, he was debriefed about what had taken place by investigating officer ASP Ahmad Nazri Zainal when he arrived at the scene in Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam.

NONE "I went up to the 14th floor which (Ahmad) Nazri had indicated to be the floor from where the fall took place. I found that the handle of the window latch/lock was broken."

His forensic team also searched for fingerprints on the window using a dust stick.

However, the test result turned out to be negative, meaning that no fingerprints were found.

"This is because the window was dirty and dusty," he told the inquest.

Quizzed by Tan, Mazli also said that he had taken two swabs from the stain on the window as well as two swabs from a sofa on the 14the floor. He added that he was told by Ahmad Nazri said Teoh had slept on the sofa just hours before he died.

No signs of struggle

Meanwhile, Shahrul Othman Mansor, an expert witness from police forensics laboratory, who had inspected the scene three days after Teoh's death, said that he found a single shoe print below the 14th floor window.

His statement was in contradictory to Mazli's testimony that there were no prints at the bottom of the window.

NONE Shahrul ( left ), had gone with his team of forensics experts on July 19, to mainly look through MACC's conference room where Teoh was interrogated and the 14th floor.

He said that they had conducted the 'poly light' test in the conference room to search for the presence of blood and hair but found nothing.

Moreover, when he checked the 14th floor, he found a shoe print about nine-inches long on the carpet below the window.

Asked whether he had ordered for a match for the shoe print, Shahrul said: "I did not check if it was a match to Teoh's shoes... as the scene could have been contaminated".

He further said that he was informed by the investigating officer that the Selangor-based forensic team (Mazli's team) had already swept through the area for evidence on the day of Teoh's death.

He also said that he found no signs of struggle at the window where Teoh was believed to have fallen from.

The inquest was adjourned at 12.30pm and it is set to continue at 8.30am tomorrow with Dr Khairul Azman Ibrahim from Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, one of the pathologists who had conducted the post-mortem on Teoh.

Khairul had started giving his testimony on Monday but was unable to continue from Tuesday after being taken ill. He will be cross-examined tomorrow.