The police have ruled out physical abuse in the death of a Cambodian maid in Penang on July 17.

Penang CID deputy chief ACP Mohd Nasir Salleh said today a pathologist at Kepala Batas Hospital ascertained that the maid  Choy Pich, 22, had died of pneumonitis or inflammation of the lungs.

The maid was found dead at the rear of her employer's house in Taman Robina in Seberang Perai Utara at 7.50 am on July 17. She had been working for five months.

Mohd Nasir dismissed a report on an online news portal that the maid had died following physical abuse.

The hospital examination showed an absence of injuries on the body except for a bruise on a cheek which could have been caused by a fall, he told reporters.

Neighbours and the proprietor of a nearby shop questioned during the police investigation said the maid had not complained of having been abused by her employer, he said.

He also said that the employment agency had informed the police that the maid had worked under favourable conditions and that a representative of the Cambodian embassy had accepted the outcome of the police probe and the post mortem result.

The police were awaiting a blood test report from the hospital to rule out the possibility of death due to poisoning, he said, adding that they had recorded the case as sudden death.

Mohd Nasir said the police would investigate the news portal report on the incident and record a statement from the writer.

In the report, the news portal had stated that Cambodian MP Mu Sochua had sought a clarification over the maid's death which it claimed was brought on by physical abuse by the employer and that the police had been bribed to resolve the case quickly.

- Bernama