KLANG: A man who was under police custody here died while being transported by ambulance to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) on Monday.

G. Ganeshwaran, 29, who was in lockup in Shah Alam, had been brought to the Klang Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday to have his statement recorded and for fingerprint identification with regard to a break-in in Bukit Tinggi.

However, upon reaching the CID office at the South Klang district police headquarters at 11.15am, he complained of chest pain.

"He had (no appetite that morning) and vomited. We then sought medical aid.

“An ambulance arrived at 12.15pm. He appeared to be normal and talking as usual when being checked by a medical attendant. (He) was then sent to HTAR for treatment.

“However, at 12.40pm, the hospital (informed us) that the victim had died in the ambulance, on the way to the hospital.

“Initial checks at 6.45pm showed that there had been no criminal element involved, and there were no injuries on the victim's body," said Klang Selatan district police chief Assistant Commissioner Shamsul Amar Ramli.

A post-mortem was conducted on Ganeshwaran by three HTAR forensic pathologists, who determined that his death was due to a pulmonary thromboembolism (the sudden blockage of a major blood vessel (artery) in the lung, usually by a blood clot).

"The blood clot, (which first emerged in) the victim's left thigh, broke loose and travelled through the bloodstream to the lungs. This caused the lungs to fail and stop blood from flowing to vital organs in the body, eventually leading to (Ganeshwaran’s) death," Shamsul said, adding that the incident has been classified as “sudden death.”

But Ganeshwaran’s family is alleging that he had been beaten up while in lockup, and that this may have led to the blood clot.

His elder sister, who declined to be named, said her brother was arrested on Thursday for suspected involvement in criminal cases, and was charged in Klang court on Friday.

But on the same day, he was rearrested for separate break-in cases in Klang.

“He was making his way out of the court, and police arrested him. When my mother (asked for clarification from) the police, they told her that he was being taken in for questioning and they told her to go home.

“He has committed mistakes, but he is also a human being. He should have been treated humanely.

“When met in court, Ganeshwaran told my mother that he had been beaten up while in lockup. When my mother met him at the Klang police station on Monday, he told her that police had kicked him in his throat, and he had found it difficult to breathe and could not eat for two days.

“He fainted in front of my mother before being carried away to an ambulance. Worst still, the police did not inform my family of his death. My mother only learnt of it from a doctor upon arriving at the hospital.

“This is unacceptable. I have lodged a report on his death. We want to know what caused the blood clot in his leg. He was healthy,” she said when met at the mortuary here on Monday.

She added that the family will lodge another report at the Shah Alam police station now that they have received the post-mortem report.

The family’s lawyer, Sivamalar Ganapathy, said a report will be lodged with the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia for further investigation.

Klang Member of Parliament Charles Santiago said police are responsible for the wellbeing of anyone under police custody.

“Why was the victim not brought to the hospital when he showed signs and symptoms of illness (two days ago)? (The) police chose to wait until his condition worsened. We lost a life today,” he added.

source :  New Straits Time