Man dies in Jinjang lock-up five days after remand

A Nepali man died in the Jinjang lock-up in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, five days after he was remanded, an NGO said.

In a statement, Eliminating Deaths and Abuse in Custody (Edict), said Dhan Bahdur, 26, was supposed to be held under remand from May 27 to June 30. However, he was recorded dead at 8.20am on Sunday by a paramedic from the Selayang Hospital.

Edict said the body was not viewed by the coroner at the place of death, breaching the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).

“The failure to view 'in-situ' has been alleged to be due to concerns over the spread of Covid-19 – we are not able to confirm this,” it said.

Section 334 of the CPC states that all deaths in custody should be immediately informed to a magistrate.

Section 330 states that in cases of suspected unnatural death, magistrates should view the body where it was found (in-situ) before it can be moved for post mortem examination.

As such, Edict urged the police and the Federal Court chief registrar to confirm if the CPC was complied with.

Edict said compliance with the CPC is crucial, given the mounting evidence of misconduct by investigating officers, which were uncovered by previous inquests into deaths in custody.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Mazlan Lazim is expected to release a statement on the matter soon.

Some 257 deaths in custody were recorded from 2002 to 2016, according to data by human rights body Suaram.

Between 2010 and 2018, only nine police officers were charged in court for causing injuries or deaths to detainees, Suaram said. - Mkini