Malaysia police chief orders probe after man dies in custody with ‘unusual injuries’

PUTRAJAYA - Malaysia’s Inspector-General of Police Mohd Khalid Ismail has directed the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to conduct an immediate probe into the death of a man who died while in police custody.He said the investigation must be conducted thoroughly following the discovery of several unusual injuries on the detainee’s body that warranted further scrutiny.Noorizwan Zulkefly, 42, who was arrested by the authorities in Cheras on Sept 19 in connection with investigations under the Dangerous Drugs Act, and Sections 457 and 379 of the Penal Code, died in police custody on Oct 1.Mohd Khalid said he had asked the CID to investigate the case “as soon as possible and make the findings of the investigation known to the public”.“At the same time, once we receive the post-mortem report from the hospital stating the cause of death, we will issue an official statement on the next course of action,” he told reporters on Oct 25.Mohd Khalid said the Integrity and Standards Compliance Department (JIPS), which is responsible for investigating deaths in custody classified as sudden death reports, had issued a statement on the case.However, police were still awaiting the laboratory report to determine the actual cause of Noorizwan’s death, he added.Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has also called for a thorough and transparent investigation into Noorizwan’s death.The Prime Minister said the deceased’s family must be kept informed of any developments and said the investigation must be conducted without compromise.“I have been in contact with the Inspector-General of Police (Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail) to obtain further information on this case and stressed that the investigation must be conducted thoroughly, transparently and without compromise,” he said in a Facebook post on Oct 24.Noorizwan’s family has sought answers over the circumstances surrounding his death and called for a thorough investigation, according to Malaysia news outlet The Star.The case has drawn scrutiny over the circumstances of his detention and the injuries reported following his death.Bukit Aman JIPS director Aida Abdul Hamid was reported as saying that the post-mortem found no injuries to Noorizwan’s internal organs, with forensic examination identifying only external injuries on his body. BERNAMA