The death of an assistant restaurant manager was due to the beatings from tow-truck operators and not from injuries suffered when he fell from his car as it was forcibly being towed away, a coroner's inquest was told today.

Counsel for Wong Jun Lum's family, Gobind Singh Deo said that while the reasons for Wong to jump from his moving car was mysterious, there was no doubt that he was a "victim of murder".

"He jumped out of his car due to reasons only known by the tow-truck operators. It was murder and alleged cover-up on the part of the police."

The inquest, before magistrate Tengku Amir Zaki Tengku Abdul Rahman, is held to determine the cause of Wong's death.

Head injuries

On April 21 this year, Wong, 21, was found dead by his brother on the bathroom floor of their Melati flats, off Jalan Loke Yew, Kuala Lumpur. He was earlier seen tussling with a few Kuala Lumpur City Hall approved tow-truck operators.

According to forensic reports, he succumbed to head injuries caused by a blow, or a number of blows, from a blunt object on the top of the head.

Police have classified the case as an accident while members of his family insist that foul play was involved. The inquest is held following a police report made by Wong's father who suspected foul play.

The inquest had earlier heard that Wong tried to persuade the tow- truck operators not to tow his car away. When they refused, he jumped into the car and was towed along. He was later seen to open the car door and fell out.

No police report

Earlier today, deputy public prosecutor Umar Saifuddin Jaafar submitted that there were no sufficient evidence to indicate that there had been a fight between Wong and the two truck operators .

He added that evidence was also clear that Wong was in his car while it was being towed away.

"This denies the possibility that he was trying to run away from someone. If he was trying to escape an attack, there was no reason for him to be in the car. He could have run off from the scene and taken proper action later," said Umar.

The decision of the inquest will be made on Dec 12.