A 31-year-old from Johor is the first individual in 2015 to become a victim of death in police custody, NGO Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) said today.

Without revealing his name, Suaram claimed to have obtained information that a 31-year-old man of Indian ethnicity had passed away while being remanded at the Ayer Molek police lock-up on Jan 8.

The man was remanded from Jan 4 to Jan 18 under the Drug Dependants Act 1983, but had complained on Jan 7 of a stomach ache and received outpatient treatment at the Sultanah Aminah hospital in Johor Bahru before being taken back to the lock-up.

On Jan 8, he complained of stomach pain again, but was declared dead by paramedics by the time he was brought to the hospital.

Johor Criminal Investigations Department chief Hasnan Hassan ( right ) had classified the death as "sudden death", Suaram said.

"The coroner and pathologist had declared that the victim suffered no external injuries. A 'sudden death' excuse does not make sense as the victim had complained of stomach ache before," Suaram's Rights to Justice programme coordinator Tarmizi Anuwar said in a statement.

"Suaram urges the police to reveal the actual cause of death. Suaram still looks at this death in custody seriously," he further said.

He added that "sudden death" is an excuse "often" used by the police to justify deaths in custody. In 2014, 14 deaths in custody had been recorded, and Suaram had recorded 111 deaths in police custody from 2005 till today.

"But until now, the government is yet to set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC)," Tarmizi noted.