IGP pledges to carry out fair probe into torture claims by father and son

© Provided by FMT MEDIA SDN BHD Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador says the police’s Integrity and Standard Compliance Department is also looking into this matter.

KUALA LUMPUR: Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador told a father-and-son duo to lodge police reports over their claims that they were wrongly detained and tortured in detention by his officers.

“I will ensure that investigations into the matter are conducted fairly if Suaram comes forward.

“Meanwhile, from my side, I believe the police’s Integrity and Standard Compliance Department is looking into the matter,” he said after attending the police monthly sports event at Bukit Aman.

Hamid was asked to comment over claims by human rights group Suaram, who represented the duo, Pukalanthee Rajoo and Linggeswaran Pukalanthee.

Suaram’s executive director Sevan Doraisamy alleged that the father and son were held for four days in detention from Sept 21 to 25 in Kangar.

The activist also claimed that police had failed to conduct proper investigations before arresting the father and his son.

Pukalanthee and Linggeswaran said they were hired to tar the roads, on contract, at a residential area and had rented a car for this job.

The father and son said they were informed that a girl from the residential area found them to be suspicious and lodged a police report.

They added the police contacted the car rental agency and “lured” them to a specific location where they were “ambushed” by heavily-armed officers. They alleged they were only told the reason for their arrest on their second day of their detention.

Meanwhile, Hamid said he welcomed the government’s plan to install closed-circuit television (CCTVs) cameras at police detention centres across the country.

He added the CCTVs may help his officers avoid untoward accusations against them for causing someone’s death in detention.

“The CCTVs will help us prove that some deaths that occurred in detention were due to unforeseen reasons,” Hamid said.

Yesterday, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said that Putrajaya will allocate RM50 million, through the National Centre for Governance, Integrity, and Anti-Corruption (GIACC), to install 11,500 CCTVs in police detention centres and at immigration entry points.

Lim added the government is concerned with issues of custodial deaths and mistreatment of suspects.