Cops refer doctor's death probe to Coroner's Court, propose inquest

The police have referred their investigation paper on the Oct 8, 2023, death of Dr Shintumathi Mutusamy to the Coroner’s Court, proposing that an inquest be held.

This is according to law firm Abd Halim Ushah & Associates, which is representing the family of the doctor who was found dead in her room at a Petaling Jaya condominium.

Lawyer Mahajoth Singh confirmed with Malaysiakini that the firm received the letter from Petaling Jaya district police chief Shahrulnizam Ja’afar on Sept 19.

The letter, dated Aug 26, stated that the investigation paper was sent to the Shah Alam Coroner’s Court on May 27.

The lawyer added that he wrote to the Coroner’s Court yesterday to seek its confirmation on receiving the investigation paper, as well as the latest developments in the case.

“Shintumathi was found dead on Oct 8, 2023, (but) to date, the police have not updated the family on the status of investigations. Such a delay is unfathomable.

“I hope the Coroner’s Court will let us know as soon as possible if and when the inquest will be opened,” Mahajoth said.

Petaling Jaya district police chief Shahrulnizam Ja’afar

He added that the “contradictory position” taken by the doctor who conducted Shintumathi’s post-mortem should be seen as a solid basis to initiate an inquest into her death.

Malaysiakini previously reported that according to a post-mortem examination report, Shintumathi was determined to have died due to “inhalation asphyxia by compressed gas and plastic bag”.

However, in a Sept 3 letter to Attorney-General (AG) Dusuki Mokhtar, Mahajoth noted that the medical officer who performed the autopsy had stated in a separate document that Shintumathi’s death was under suspicious and unnatural circumstances.

“Both of these documents clearly show different causes of death. We are of the opinion that this very significant discrepancy is a strong basis to commence inquest proceedings,” the lawyer said in the letter.

Mahajoth had also claimed that despite 28 police reports lodged, Shintumathi’s family had not been given any decision or update on the status of the police’s investigation into the case.

Met with silence

Based on a timeline of events detailed in the Sept 3 letter, various attempts had been made to seek justice for Shintumathi, who was understood to have co-owned a clinic with another doctor before her death.

On Jan 3 and again on July 18, 2024, the family sought the AGC’s discretion to order an inquest, but both requests were met with silence.

Shintumathi’s mother had also claimed that while the scene where her daughter was found was covered in blood and an unidentified yellow liquid, investigating officers had not collected any of the substances for further analysis to determine whether other individuals were involved in the case.

She also asserted that police had failed to send two blood-stained mattresses for DNA tests and only secured CCTV footage from the day after Shintumathi’s death while supposedly ignoring recordings from earlier days. - Mkini