Langkawi district police chief Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim said the eight included staff of the Langkawi Hospital and residents of the hospital quarters where the murder suspects – a married couple – had lived.

The couple – a 37-year-old man and his 40-year-old wife – were remanded for seven days this morning after magistrate Mohd Ridzwan Salleh granted the remand application.

“Some witnesses have given their statements. We may call up eight more people,” Iqbal told reporters at the location where the police are looking for more body parts of the girl, Nur Aisyah Aleya Abdullah.

Yesterday, the police found Nur Aisyah Aleya’s skull and bits of hair in a ravine about 3m off the road in Gunung Raya, after a suspect led them to the spot.

Iqbal said the children of the suspects had been taken to the Child Interview Centre (CIC) at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters to have their statements recorded.

“The recording of statements from children below 12 differs from that for adults,” he said.