KUALA LUMPUR – Police have initiated an investigation into claims that an officer had physically assaulted an individual during an operation to bust a smuggling activity on January 24.
Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan said Lim Xiang Hui, 20, filed a report on January 27, immediately after he was charged in court and released on bail, following a four-day remand in police custody.
Based on initial investigation, Jalil said the victim was arrested by police after he was suspected of conspiring with the smuggling syndicate and acting as a tonto (lookout thug).
“Our initial investigation found that the complainant was detained on January 24 by a special intelligence and investigation branch team of Bukit Aman’s Internal Security and Public Order Department.
“He was believed to be a tonto trying to block one of the team’s vehicles that was chasing a lorry suspected of ferrying smuggled goods along Jalan Muadzam Shah in Pahang.
“The probe is conducted under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt, following the complainant’s claim,” he said in a statement to the media.
In a virtual press conference earlier, Lim had shared his harrowing experience through a chronology that was read out by Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah.
Among other things, Lim had claimed that a shot was fired by police while he was driving in the area around 2am, and that a gun was held to his head in an attempt to force him to provide information on the smuggling activity.
He also claimed that he was taken on a terror ride, and punched and kicked several times before being taken to the police station for questioning and remand.
Jalil said based on the facts of the case, Lim, who is a salesman, was on his way to Johor Baru after being ordered by his employer to visit the area for the possibility of expanding the company’s seafood market.
“Around 2am, he was stopped by three or four police officers, and claimed to have been beaten up on the side of the road, before being remanded for four days.”
On January 27, Lim was charged under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing police duty and Section 42 of the Road Transport Act 1987 in the Rompin magistrates’ court for reckless driving. He claimed trial to both charges. – The Vibes, February 8, 2021
