PETALING JAYA: A 59-year-old man has died while being held in custody at the Setiawangsa police station lockup.
Director of Bukit Aman’s integrity and compliance department Azri Ahmad said the detainee’s cellmate found him struggling to breathe.
“The hospital was immediately contacted and an ambulance arrived to transport the man to hospital for treatment.
“The doctor from Hospital Kuala Lumpur’s emergency and trauma department examined the man and pronounced him dead,” he said in a statement.
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He said the man was initially arrested on July 6 under Section 39(b) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. He was held further on July 18 after he was found linked to another case.
“Bukit Aman’s death in custody investigation unit (USJKT) will investigate the matter,” he said.
Last month, the Dewan Rakyat was told that the number of deaths in police custody dropped to 24 cases last year, compared to 46 in the previous year.
Deputy home minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said the death in custody investigation unit found two cases with criminal elements. One involved a case in Taiping, Perak, which is the subject of a trial, while the other case in Kelantan was still being investigated.
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