Bukit Aman: Cops probing Orang Asli custodial death from all angles

The police are investigating the custodial death of a 25-year-old Orang Asli man in Pahang from all angles before submitting the findings to the coroner, said Bukit Aman.

“Up to this point, the case has been classified as sudden death,” said Integrity and Standards Compliance Department (JIPS) director Azri Ahmad in a statement this morning.

He added that the case was also referred to the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) within 24 hours as required by the law together with periodical updates.

Aziz was responding to a Malaysiakini report which quoted former deputy minister overseeing legal affairs Mohamed Hanipa Maidin who cited this case to urge Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to make good on his promise to address abuse and deaths in detention.

The JIPS director said the post-mortem report indicated that Norazman Me, who was also tested positive for morphine, had taken his own life on May 4, three days after his arrest in connection with a motorcycle theft.

At the time of the incident, the deceased was held in a lock-up at the Pekan district police headquarters.

Aziz said Norazman, who was under remand for three days, was being investigated under Section 379A in relation to the theft of a motor vehicle and Section 15(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

Previously, Malaysiakini reported the deceased’s mother Noriah Hitam, 51, claiming she had been denied information on circumstances surrounding the death of her eldest son.

“He (Norazman) was in the custody of the police, there is CCTV (closed circuit camera), and there was a sentry (supervision of members on duty).

“Wouldn’t they know if my son had attempted ‘suicide’ when he was locked up in the police station area?” she asked.

Hanipa said it was “puzzling” that the mother is still waiting for a response from the authorities on what transpired in the lockup.

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