LAHAD DATU – Four siblings are facing the long arm of the law after “stealing” their father’s body from the hospital here as they refused to let the corpse be subjected to Covid-19 standard operating procedures.
District police chief Rohan Shah Ahmad confirmed the incident, and said police have remanded all four under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The incident on Wednesday night involved three brothers and their sister, aged between 26 and 31.
Rohan said the 58-year-old patient was sent to Lahad Datu Hospital’s emergency ward about 8.30pm after falling unconscious.
As he had a history of stroke and brain damage at a hospital in Sandakan, he was placed at a Covid-19 tent outside the emergency ward designated for “persons under investigation”.
His condition deteriorated, and medical personnel performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him, but to no avail.
The medical personnel then explained the SOPs to his children, including the body being kept in a morgue until the Covid-19 test result is received.
However, the siblings refused to heed the SOPs, quickly pushing the wheeled stretcher with their father’s body on it to their car and driving home.
Acting based on the medical personnel’s report, Criminal Investigation Department officers from the district police headquarters raided the family’s home in Kg Panji and arrested the siblings.
“The case is being investigated under Section 270 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum two years’ imprisonment, or a fine, or both, upon conviction, for the offence of committing a malignant act likely to spread the infection of a disease dangerous to life,” said Rohan.
“Police are also investigating this case under Section 22(b) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988, for the offence of disobeying official instruction from any authorised officer, which could see offenders imprisoned for not more than two years, or fined RM1,000, or both.” – The Vibes, January 22, 2021
