Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud has confirmed a death in custody case involving Indian national Zeeawdeen Kadar Masdar.
In a statement to Malaysiakini, Khairul Dzaimee Daud (above) said Zeawdeen, 67, was among 591 individuals screened during a May 1 raid along Jalan Masjid India in the capital.
Malaysiakini had yesterday reported that dozens of tourists and business travellers from India were languishing under immigration detention after their 30-day multiple-entry visas lapsed during the MCO period.
Referring to the May 1 raid, Khairul Dzaimee said only 255 of the 591 migrants rounded up were found to have had valid travel documents.
"The rest were arrested for not having a valid travel document, overstaying since 2019 or had performed frequent entries and exits out of the norm for an ordinary tourist," he said.
One of the individuals arrested for further investigations of their abnormal travel patterns included Zeawdeen, Khairul Dzaimee revealed.
"The Malaysiakini report claimed that Zeawdeen's social visit pass had expired during the MCO period and therefore he should have been released based on current laws.
"We would like to clarify that his travel records showed he frequently entered and exited the country within a short span of time," he said.
"Checks with the immigration records showed Zeawdeen made frequent travels in and out of the country since 2017, the most recent being on March 17.
"A real tourist would not perform journeys at this frequency. They are mostly found to be working here illegally or conducting businesses," said Khairul Dzaimee who had previously denied that Zeawdeen was the same man announced dead on June 12.
Khairul Dzaimee also insisted that the Immigration Department had taken good care of Zeawdeen including providing treatment at the MAEPS quarantine centre after he was tested positive for Covid-19 on May 26.
"He was discharged on June 7. On June 11, he was found unconscious in his cell at 6 pm.
"Immediate actions were taken, he was rushed to Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM), Cheras at 6.30 pm but was certified dead at around 10 pm," said Khairul Dzaimee.
According to Health Ministry letters sighted by Malaysiakini, Zeeawdeen had previously been declared Covid-19 negative on May 4, four days before he was supposedly taken away by immigration authorities.
On June 14, Zeawdeen's family members learnt from news reports that a 67-year-old Indian citizen had died in Malaysia's Bukit Jalil Immigration Depot. The man was not named, but the description fitted Zeeawdeen.
A day later, the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur confirmed it was him.
Despite being shown a copy of Zeawdeen's e-visa document, photograph and passport details, Khairul Dzaimee had denied the man who died was Zeawdeen.
Zeeawdeen’s family has since appointed a family friend, Othuman Mansoor, to collect his remains and arrange for a funeral here in Malaysia.
When contacted, Othuman confirmed he had received a letter from the Indian High Commission which stated it had no objections to the family members' request for Zeawdeen's body to be released to him.
He also said that he was informed Zeawdeen's body would be released for burial in or two days time.
Earlier today, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said there was no excuse for tourists whose visas lapsed during the movement control order (MCO) period, to not to have renewed them.
Ismail also said it was possible that those who were detained during immigration raids could have come in as tourists but were later found to be working illegaly in Malaysia. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.