KUALA LUMPUR – Yet another custodial death has been reported, this time involving a 36-year-old father of three who died at the South Klang district police station yesterday evening.
Lawyer Manoharan Malayalam said Umar Faruq Abdullah @ Hemanathan died at the station while under a four-day remand, which was obtained from a magistrate in Klang the same day.
He said he was approached by Umar Faruq’s 25-year-old wife, Humairah Abdullah @ Kaanagi, and was told by an investigating officer that the victim died in custody and had tried to escape.
In a post on the “Malaysian Lawyers and Law Students” Facebook group, Manoharan said Humairah informed him that five police officers broke into her home in Kuala Selangor to arrest Umar Faruq between 4pm and 5pm on Wednesday.
He said Humairah received a call from a cop about 10am yesterday, asking her to bring food for Umar Faruq as he had not eaten for a long time.
She was told to wait after arriving at the station.
“She waited and waited until a policeman told her about 3.30pm that her husband had passed away, allegedly while in custody at the South Klang district police station,” said Manoharan in the post.
“She was shocked, and cried uncontrollably. She then contacted me for legal advice.”
He said Humairah was informed that her husband fell to his death, but she does not believe this.
She said Umar Faruq loved his children, and it was “impossible” for him to have deliberately left them, added Manoharan.
“I suspect that something’s not right here. Definitely not right. I hold police responsible and accountable for Umar Faruq’s death.”
He said he will file a suit against police and the government for allegedly causing Umar Faruq’s death, and that the inspector-general of police must answer the continuous allegations on custodial deaths.
Other than his wife, Umar Faruq leaves behind his children aged 5 and 4 years, and 6 months.
Klang MP Charles Santiago, when contacted by The Vibes, confirmed that he was informed of the incident.
Umar Faruq is the fourth custodial death to be reported in less than two months, and the second in under a week. All four victims were ethnic Indian men.
On May 27, 21-year-old Surendran Shanker died at Kluang Hospital less than a month of being moved to Simpang Renggam Prison on drug charges.
On May 21, 43-year-old security guard Sivabalan Subramaniam died within an hour of being taken in at the Gombak district police headquarters. It came less than a month after the same station was embroiled in controversy over the death of cow milk trader A. Ganapathy, 40, while in police custody.
Ganapathy died in hospital on April 18, more than a month after being taken there from the station on March 8.
That case saw social media users expressing their outrage online using hashtags such as #JusticeForGanapathy and #BrutalityinMalaysia. – The Vibes, June 4, 2021
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