A widow today alleged that her husband died in the police custody due to police brutality and not because of an inflammation in his lungs as claimed by the police.

Suzana Md Aris said her husband Mohd Anuar Sharip's death at the Selayang lock-up on Aug 18, 1999 was the result of the police physical harassment.

She said this in her reply to the defence against her suit by the police who denied assaulting Mohd Anuar in custody and claimed that he had died because of an inflammation in his lungs.

"I repeat that my husband died as a result of torture and abuse by the police and this is consistent with his autopsy report dated May 19, 2000 as well as photographs of his body," she said.

Suzana had filed a suit on May 19 last year over the death of her husband. She is claiming RM682,400 in damages with interests from the Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai, Gombak OCPD Massari Hashim, Gombak Crime Division chief Ishak Hussain and the government, whom she named as defendants.

She claimed her husband, who was a member of Keadilan and a reformasi supporter, was taken away by police from their house at Batu Caves at midnight on Aug 10, 1999, but died eight days later while in police custody.

In their defence, the defendants claimed that Mohd Anuar was arrested at his house in accordance with the law and denied conducting any search in the house. They added that Mohd Anuar was arrested for drug-related offences.

They further claimed that Mohd Anuar was a drug addict, adding that this was confirmed by a urine check on him which allegedly revealed traces of morphine. Suzana has refuted this.

Unlawfully detained

Suzana maintained in her court documents, served by her lawyer P Uthayakumar on the defendants today, that her husband was unlawfully detained by the police who had also conducted an illegal search of their house without finding anything.

She said that she was not aware of a second post-mortem report which the police relied on to say that Mohd Anuar had died of lung inflammation.

"I have doubts on the existence of the second report and will rely on the first report which stated that Mohd Anuar had suffered from 'multiple laceration lesions over the neck, chest, abdomen and back regions' and that some parts of his stomach had clear 'blue-black' wounds suggesting that he was severely kicked or punched," said Suzana.

She said that the defendants were also liable for their failure to act promptly in taking Mohd Anuar to the hospital if he had died because of other causes apart from police brutality.