Death of PALAPES cadet: Bukit Aman’s unit assumes full investigation

LocalPolitics
27 Aug 2025 • 7:55 AM MYT
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Death of PALAPES cadet: Bukit Aman’s unit assumes full investigation

THE Classified Crime Investigation Unit (USJT) of the Royal Malaysia Police's Criminal Investigation Department at Bukit Aman has officially taken over the investigation into the death of PALAPES cadet officer Syamsul Haris Shamsuddin, beginning today.

This development follows a ruling by the Shah Alam High Court on Tuesday which granted the family’s application to exhume the cadet’s remains for a second post-mortem.

Director of the Criminal Investigation Department at Bukit Aman, Datuk M Kumar, confirmed that the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is committed to fully complying with the court’s directive to coordinate the necessary procedures.

"PDRM takes note of the application filed by Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun through legal firm Naran Singh & Co at the Shah Alam High Court for an order to exhume the remains of Syamsul Haris, who passed away on 28 July," he said in a late-night statement.

"Following this, PDRM also assures that the investigation will be conducted transparently and with integrity, in accordance with the law and the principle of the Rule of Law, to ensure that justice is upheld."

Earlier in the court proceedings, High Court Judge Datuk Bhupindar Singh issued three specific orders to be complied with by the respondents.

The first order permits the exhumation of Syamsul Haris’s body, which is buried at the Rinching Ulu Muslim Cemetery in Semenyih, for the purpose of a second post-mortem under the supervision of the first respondent—namely, the Inspector-General of Police or an authorised officer—with liberty to involve any relevant parties as deemed necessary.

The second order allows for a forensic pathologist from Hospital Kuala Lumpur to carry out the second autopsy within 14 days of exhumation. This is to be conducted in the presence of forensic expert Datuk Seri Dr Bhupinder Singh and the family’s appointed counsel, Datuk Naran Singh, or a representative from Naran Singh & Co.

The third order requires that the forensic pathologist who performs the autopsy submit a report within a reasonable timeframe after the procedure, with a copy to be provided to the applicant’s lawyers at Naran Singh & Co.

Syamsul Haris died at Kota Tinggi Hospital on 28 July after undergoing training at the Combat Firing Range, Inoculation Training Area, Army Combat Training Centre (Pulada) in Ulu Tiram, Johor.

Previously, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin stated that an investigation by the Malaysian Armed Forces, via a Special Investigation Committee, had found no evidence of abuse related to the cadet’s death. - August 27, 2025