GEORGE TOWN – Seberang Prai City Council councillor P. David Marshel is urging state police chief Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain to expedite investigations into the case of a 34-year-old Indian man who passed away while in police custody in Penang.
Marshel said that there were many unanswered questions regarding Kumar Selvadurai’s death and the family of the deceased needs to know why police were not serious in handling the case as well as the reasons behind their reluctance in informing the family of the victim’s death while in police custody.
“I don’t understand how the police decided that the deceased was an orphan when the late victim’s brother visited the Butterworth police station twice and was also at the courts in Butterworth when the victim was taken there to obtain a remand order.
“The family wanted to know whether the Seberang Jaya Hospital had followed the standard operating procedure in allowing an unnamed non-government organisation to claim the body to conduct the final rites,” Marshel told The Vibes, adding that he is checking with the hospital to ascertain the unidentified NGO which conducted the final rites for the deceased.
It is understood that the deceased was detained by police at the Kepala Batas district police headquarters on December 10 last year over suspicion of theft.
Upon hearing about the arrest, Kumar’s younger brother Thines Selvadurai had gone to the Kepala Batas police station where he was being held. The brother saw Kumar being surrounded by policemen at the lock-up and was subsequently told to leave and go to court.
However, Kumar was nowhere to be seen at the court complex.
When Thines returned to the Kepala Batas police station, he was informed that his brother was transferred to the Seberang Prai prison in Jawi.
But upon making queries there, the detention centre informed Thines that they had no record of Kumar’s detention.
In a police report filed yesterday by Thines, the family claimed that they were only informed of Kumar’s death the day before – 53 days after it took place.
Furthermore, the family was informed that Kumar’s body was handed over to an unnamed non-governmental organisation because none of the deceased’s family members came to claim him.
According to Marshel, Kumar was arrested on December 10 and passed away en route to Seberang Jaya Hospital after suffering a seizure.
https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/53597/man-dies-in-custody-family-claims-to-be-informed-53-days-later
A police report has since been lodged, demanding an investigation into Kumar’s suspicious death.
“I don’t understand why the investigating officer took so long to record statements from the family members and from me. I don’t think a family in mourning needs to undergo such inconveniences.
“However, justice must be served. The government and the police must have some seriousness to stop custodial death cases as it affects the image of the police force,” Marshel added.
Attempts to reach police for comment have so far failed. – The Vibes, February 6, 2022
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