Kugan's body could've been tampered with, testifies DIGP

Deputy inspector-general of police (DIGP) Khalid Abu Bakar has indicated there is a possibility that deceased police detainee A Kugan's body was tampered with while it was held by the family members before the second post-mortem was performed.

Khalid (left), who was formerly Selangor police chief, told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that was why police did not comment or accept the findings of the second post-mortem report, which was carried out by a physician in the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC).

"There could be something which happened to the body when the body was returned to the family and during the funeral procession.

"That is why the police did not comment or announced the results on the second post-mortem," he said when testifying during the family's RM100 million suit against him, the police and government.

When pointed out by lawyer Sivarasa Rasiah, who is representing Kugan’s family, that there were already 22 injuries listed by the forensic specialist in the first post-mortem, Khalid agreed that was the finding.

Khalid also agreed, when Sivarasa further verified that Khalid was testifying that something could have been done to Kugan's body when it was kept by the family, and that this was the first time Khalid was saying so.

This led to judge VT Singham aking Khalid, “you suspected something amiss, but you did not lodge a police report or investigate further?

"You know it should be reported or investigated further, with due respect," the judge said.

However, Khalid did not respond to this.

In the second post-mortem, the UMMC found 45 injuries on Kugan's body and listed the failure of the vital organs as a result of the beatings inflicted as the cause of Kugan's death.

[More to follow]