The teenager who attempted suicide after she was accused of stealing her teacher's iPhone last week died this morning at 3.30am.

NGO Malaysian Tamilar Kural secretary, Satees Muniandy, who broke the news to the media, said M Vasanthapiriya's family members were attending to her body at the mortuary.

"They are too distraught to speak now," Satees told Malaysiakini.

The NGO's president David Marshel (centre in photo) was with the student’s relatives at the hospital's forensic department to wait for the post-mortem results.

The 13-year-old student was in a coma at the Seberang Jaya Hospital since Jan 24 after she was found in her room hanging with a shawl tied around her neck.

Her doctor had then told the family that their child suffered a brain injury.

Her uncle, Manogaran Retom, 40, who lodged a police report against the teacher for Vasanthapiriya's suicide attempt, claimed the Form One student was allegedly locked in a room at the school by the teacher and demanded that she confessed.

Manogaran also alleged that the teacher and her husband, who is also a teacher, then took the student in their car to her house.

The student was again accused of stealing the mobile phone in front of her parents.

At about 8.20pm that night, the girl who hailed from Nibong Tebal penned a note before attempting to hang herself with a shawl but was discovered by her father.

The note, among others, said, “Teacher, I never took your phone.”

The school's Teacher-Parent Association president Teoh Seang Hooi has vowed to seek justice for the student but urged all parties to allow the police to probe the case thoroughly.

Education deputy minister P Kamalanathan said the ministry was probing the case and revealed that the teacher had since been transferred to the district education office.

Seeking justice

Meanwhile, friends and family gathered outside the mortuary, holding placards demanding justice for Vasanthapiriya.

Accompanying the family outside the mortuary other than the girl's uncle was her brother M Arvind, 21.

They said her funeral will be conducted tomorrow in her home in Nibong Tebal.

A teary aunt A Lalitha, 43, said, "We hope the perpetrators would be brought to justice".

"Why did the teacher act in such a manner, she even found her phone back," Lalitha claimed.

"You can buy a phone anytime but my niece's life is forever gone," she cried.

In a statement issued this morning, South Seberang Prai district police chief Supt Shafie Samad said an investigation paper, which has been opened for the attempt to commit suicide under the Penal Code, has been referred to the prosecution.

However, repeated queries to Penang police chief A Thaiveegan about the case has gone unanswered.

It is learnt that Vasanthapiriya's blood pressure and pulse were unstable last night, and took a turn for the worse at about 3am.

Doctors then told the family that they had to turn off the life support system since her brain had stopped responding.

Malaysian Tamilar Kural president David urged the police and Education Department to act on the case urgently so that another case such as this would not occur.

"It seems police are not probing the incident although a report was lodged last week," David said.

"Why are queries to the police by reporters went unanswered?

"This is a high-profile case and police must take the necessary action against the culprits involved," he told reporters outside the mortuary.

"This is not a suicide but this is a murder," he alleged.

The NGO has engaged lawyers to assist the family in the case.