A car workshop owner has accused the police of using violence against him and asking for money for “extra meal" during his 11-day detention at four police stations.

According to Lai Swan Tong, 50, the police came to his workshop in Balakong, Selangor, on June 30, asking him to go Kajang police station to help in an investigation on a car theft case.

Lai ( right in photo ) said the police did not offer any explanation then.

Instead, they detained him for four days, and immediately after being released, was re-arrested by police from the Sentul station and held for four more days, he claimed.

However, Lai's ordeal did not end there.

After he was set free by the Sentul police, he was re-arrested yet again, this time by Serdang police. He was released the next day, and then arrested for the ‘last time’ by Shah Alam police.

Lai’s 11-day remand finally ended at 8pm yesterday when the police failed to obtain a remand order from the magistrate court.

He recounted this at a press conference in Pandan Indah today, with his lawyer Keppy Wong Khai Phun.

Police violence

Lai complained that the police used violence against him twice when he was giving a statement at Sentul station.

"I was sitting on the floor. He said I talked too lightly, then he kicked me. Another time was when he could not hear what I said and used a wood cane to hit me," Lai said, showing his left thumb to explain the size of the cane.

He also bared his chest, displaying a bruise as evidence of police violence.

The food provided in lock-up was terrible, he said, with only bread for breakfast, and plain rice plus dry fish without gravy for lunch and dinner.

While under detention in Sentul and Shah Alam stations, the police, through other detainees, asked for money to arrange "add-on" treatment for them.

‘RM500 for two bottles of beer’

After he paid RM100, he claimed his meal ‘package’ changed, and he was given cigarettes, soft drink, and fried noodles.

On another night, he forked out RM500 and got two bottles of beer in return, Lai said.

The warden or detainees would bring their mobile phones into the cell and ask other detainees to contact relatives to bank in money for the “special treatment”, he explained.  

According to Lai, he and other detainees had paid nearly RM3,000 for "add-on meal package" during the detention period.

Lai claimed he alone gave RM1,100.

At the press conference, Lai’s wife, Jess Yap Choy Lan, also showed her phone, pointing out the three bank transfers she had made after her husband's arrest so he can have better meals at the lock-up.

However, she said she was not sure whether the account holders were police personnel.

Police assault and extortion

At the press conference, Wong said they are going to make a  report against the police at the Pandan Indah station for abuse of power.

"This (11-day detention) is an abuse of the remand proceeding. The police had said they have not completed investigation to remand (Lai) for many times, but every time, the statement was recorded for just one hour," he lamented.

Wong urged the police to kick off a criminal investigation and take disciplinary action against those involved.

"Previously, there was a suggestion to install CCTV in the lock-up centre but the Home Ministry took no action.

"This is police assault and extortion,"he said.