The coroner's court here was today told that police had no intention to conceal the death of R Gunasegaran, who was in police custody last year.

Sergeant Subari Sarno said he and other police personnel at the Sentul police district headquarters had no intention to "close the case" by lying in giving testimony in court inquest proceedings to investigate Gunasegaran's death.

“I spoke the truth and other personnel did not have intention or wanted to close the case without public knowledge," the sixth prosecution witness said.

Gunasegaran, 31, who was arrested on a drug charge, collapsed while being finger-printed at the facility between 6.45pm and 7pm while in police custody and was pronounced dead at 7.40pm on July 16 at Kuala Lumpur Hospital last year.

No urine test

In today's proceedings, Subari also denied an allegation by counsel, M Visvanathan, who is representing the deceased, that he and other police personnel did not make a report of Gunasegaran's death and tried to delay the report of his arrest to close the case.

On the matter of the late report of Gunasegaran's arrest, he said: “It was made about two hours late as the situation at the police station was chaotic when the deceased fainted."

He said Sergeant Major Rajinder Singh and other personnel did not provide any emergency assistance but just splashed water on Gunasegaran.

Further, Subari said there was no urine test done on Gunasegaran to detect drug content as he failed to urinate, although he was directed to do so.

The inquest before coroner Siti Shakirah Mohtarudin continues on Jan 25.

- Bernama