KUALA LUMPUR – A 49-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of drug possession died in custody two weeks after he was detained at the Seri Alam police station in Johor Baru.
Bukit Aman Integrity and Standard Compliance Department director Datuk Azri Ahmad said the man died yesterday after being found unconscious in the lock-up, three days after he was sent to a hospital after he complained of breathing difficulties.
He said the detainee was remanded for four days after his arrest on February 3 and was charged under Section 39(A)(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. He was also investigated under Section 15(1)(a) of the same act.
However, the detainee was not granted bail and was placed at the Seri Alam police station lockup while awaiting mention on April 10, 2022.
Azri said the cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
He said the detainee had complained of shortness of breath on February 16 and was sent to Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor Baru for treatment.
At about 7am on February 19, the detainee was found unconscious in the lockup, Azri said.
“The coroner who arrived at the scene confirmed that the detainee had died,” he said in a statement.
“The detainee was sent to Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor Baru for post-mortem.
“The cause of death is still unknown and is subject to the analysis report of the lab tests by the pathologists.”
Azri said the Integrity and Standard Compliance Department in Bukit Aman is also carrying out a probe into the death.
The latest death comes less than a week after another detainee, a 39-year-old man, who was wanted for a previous drug consumption-related offence, died while receiving treatment at Selayang Hospital around 6.30pm on Valentine’s Day after complaining of breathing difficulties just an hour prior.
On February 11, a total of 50 civil rights and political groups handed over a memorandum to police demanding transparent investigations into their deaths.
This came in light of seven earlier reported deaths in police custody barely two months into 2022.
Supported by organisations such as Suara Rakyat Malaysia, Undi18, Parti Sosialis Malaysia, Muda, and the Universiti Malaya Students’ Union, the document was handed over to personnel at the Bukit Aman district police headquarters earlier today.
It also pressed for the need to establish in-house health facilities in every police detention centre and the election of an independent body to investigate the recent cases of custodial deaths. - The Vibes, February 20, 2022
