Cops find senior citizen they bought groceries for dead at home
CORONAVIRUS | In a tragic end to a heartwarming tale, a senior citizen who was aided by several kind-hearted Kuala Lipis police officers in Pahang to buy groceries and return home was found dead the next day.
According to Kuala Lipis police chief Mohd Razis Mohd Wahi, he said the body of the 74-year-old Chinese man was found at 11am yesterday when his officer went around to check on the victim....
CORONAVIRUS | In a tragic end to a heartwarming tale, a senior citizen who was aided by several kind-hearted Kuala Lipis police officers in Pahang to buy groceries and return home was found dead the next day.
According to Kuala Lipis police chief Mohd Razis Mohd Wahi, he said the body of the 74-year-old man was found at 11am yesterday when his officers went to the victim's home to check on him.
"He was found dead at 11am. We do not know when he passed away," he told Malaysiakini.
Razis said he and a few of his fellow officers found the man on the roadside yesterday afternoon, one kilometre away from the latter’s house.
“He said he was tired, not sick, after he went on foot to buy food.
“So we sent him home and bought groceries for him - rice, maggi (instant noodles) and mineral water.”
A social media posting of the incident, which has gone viral, showed images of the police officers speaking to and helping an old, frail-looking man sitting underneath a tree by the side of the road.
Videos show the officers helping to lift the man, putting on his slippers, driving him to his home - a run-down shed in a durian farm - and carrying him inside.
It was alleged that police were informed of the man’s predicament by motorcycle workshop owner Che Amirus Syafik who sought to get the man help.
The senior citizen was alleged to have not eaten for several days.
According to Razis, he sent his men to check on the victim as they were hoping to refer the latter to the Welfare Department and other NGOs who could channel aid to him.
When the man failed to answer the door, police broke in and unfortunately found him deceased.
“Maybe he went to get water as he died where he went to drink water. His room was so small, he just had a kitchen and a bed.
“He lived alone in what we would not even call a house but a pondok (shed) with no water or electricity.
"He also had no wife or kids,” Razis said.
Meanwhile, Kuala Lipis district police chief Azli Mohd Noor said a post-mortem investigation report revealed that the man died from heart complications.
"His remains were handed over to relatives for the funeral," he said.
Azli said that yesterday, the village chief, known as Tok Empat Kuala Kechau, had also gone to the victim's house with the police.
"The police and Tok Empat (Kuala) Kechau had been to the victim's house to monitor his condition but he failed to answer the door.
"The police decided to break in and found the victim sprawled face down on the floor," he added.
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