Police want ‘screening’ at lock-up, hospital after custodial death

Selangor CID chief SAC Fadzil Ahmat says police suspect the lock-up has been contaminated by an infection.

The screening will be conducted at Hospital Shah Alam and the Shah Alam police headquarters.

PETALING JAYA: Police have requested a “screening” at Hospital Shah Alam and the Shah Alam police headquarters following the death of driving instructor Thanabalan Subramaniam in police custody last night.

Selangor Criminal Investigation Department chief SAC Fadzil Ahmat said the screening would be conducted by the hospital as police suspected the centralised lock-up was contaminated by an infection.

He did not reject the possibility of Thanabalan, who was allegedly detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act or Sosma, having fallen victim to the infection.

“However, the cause of the death will be determined by an autopsy, which will be done today,” he said when contacted by FMT.

According to his family, Thanabalan, 38, from Kapar, was arrested by the police in front of SJK (C) Soo Jin on March 29 while sending one of his children to school.

Last night, his family received a phone call from the police informing them that Thanabalan had passed away after a heart attack.

Fadzil said he did not know when the autopsy result would be released.

“Sometimes, it takes one day, two days or three days. We don’t know,” he said, adding that Thanabalan had died at Hospital Shah Alam.

He said police had opened an investigation paper on the case which has been classified as sudden death.-FMT