KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 – A day after police warned the public not to speculate on the latest case of sudden death in police custody, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar speculated that the death of a burglary suspect at the Damansara Damai police station might be linked to his drug addiction.
Nevertheless, he said, the police were waiting for the post-mortem report to determine the cause of death.
Wireman A. Gnanapragasam was known to be a hardcore drug addict, he said.
Ismail said the police would not conceal from the public any information pertaining to Gnanapragasam's sudden death.
“Prior to this, when a detainee dies in a police lock-up, a magistrate and a doctor would be brought over to look at, or examine the body before the body was removed,” he told reporters after opening the Human Rights Workshop for Asean Police Trainers here today.
A policeman found Gnanapragasam, 53, dead in a toilet at the police station early yesterday.
On the search for blogger Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin and Selangor executive councillor Elizabeth Wong’s former boyfriend Helmi Malek who had fled overseas despite arrest warrants issued against them, Ismail said the police were working closely with Interpol to locate them.
He said a “Red Notice” – seeking the provisional arrest of a wanted person with a view to extradition based on an arrest warrant or court decision – would be issued against Raja Petra, if necessary.
Meanwhile, Petaling Jaya police chief ACP Arjunaidi Mohamed, who appealed to the public not to speculate on the case, said a team had been set up to probe the cause of Gnanapragasam’s death.
He said the post-mortem report was expected to be ready by tomorrow. Gnanapragasam was held under remand for four days to facilitate investigations into a burglary in Sungai Buloh.
He had nine previous criminal records, including theft and a drug-related case, in the Klang Valley.
Meanwhile, Gnanapragasam’s wife, known only as Mala, 40, said she was shocked to find many injuries on her husband’s body, face and hands.
“We suspect foul play and urge the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the case,” she said when met at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre morgue today.– Bernama
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