Man awaiting trial dies in police custody
A man who was awaiting trial has died while under the custody of the Kota Tinggi police.
In a statement, Bukit Aman Integrity and Standards Compliance Department (JIPS) head Azri Ahmad said the deceased was charged on Jan 25 with drug abuse.
However, since the deceased did not post bail, he was detained in a police facility instead of jail due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
On Feb 16, the detainee was warded for fever and vomiting. He tested positive for Covid-19 when he was in the hospital.
The detainee died yesterday at 4.15am and the cause of death is yet to be determined.
Azri said his department and the Criminal Investigation Unit on Deaths in Custody would investigate this death.
The Criminal Investigation Unit on Deaths in Custody unit was set up in January this year.
JIPS, as of late, has been regularly announcing deaths in custody which had previously only come to light through victims' families, activists, civil society groups and lawyers.
The latest death in custody in Kota Tinggi, Johor, puts the total custodial death count for this year at nine.
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