ALOR STAR: Police have reclassified the probe into the death of a drug addict in Langkawi last Thursday from sudden death to causing death and murder.
Kedah police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh said he had ordered the investigation to be reclassified under Section 304 and Section 302 of the Penal Code after an initial post-morterm examination result revealed that the deceased had died from a blunt force trauma to the head.
Fisol said had he immediately ordered for the case to be reclassified after being informed on the pathology report by the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital here.
"I have ordered for officers from the state police contingent to take over the investigation from the Langkawi police to avoid bias.
"We are investigating from all possible angles including element of excessive force. We will conduct through and fair investigations, there will be no cover up," he told a press conference at the state police contingent headquarters here today.
Present were his deputy, Deputy Commissioner Adzli Abu Shah, state acting Criminal Investigation Department chief Assistant Commissioner Wan Azharuddin Wan Azhar and Langkawi police chief Assistant Commissioner Shariman Ashari.
Fisol said to date, police have recorded statements from all six policemen involved in the arrest and seven eyewitnesses.
Commenting further, Fisol said the deceased was arrested during 'Ops Tapis Khas' by the Langkawi police's Narcotics Investigation Division on Jan 29.
Fisol said police had tried to detain the 31-year-old suspect after he was spotted behaving suspiciously but he had resisted the arrest.
"During the process, there was a scuffle and the suspect suffered injuries to his right eyebrow and ear, left neck, knee and arm while the three policemen involved in the arrest also suffered minor injuries.
Fisol added that police had found a straw containing heroin weighing about 0.21gm on the suspect.
He was subsequently taken to the district police headquarters where he tested positive for morphine.
"About 8pm the same day, police took him to Kuah Health Clinic to treat his injuries but he suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness while at the clinic.
"He was rushed to the Sultanah Maliha Hospital and admitted at the emergency ward's red zone. About 12.40pm on Feb 1, we were informed that he had died," he said.
Fisol said a post-morterm examination carried out at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital the next day confirmed that the man had died from blunt force trauma to the head.
He added that Shariman had personally contacted the family to brief them on the case and inform them that police were investigating the case.
On Sunday, the New Straits Times reported that the family of Mohd Hafiz Salleh was demanding for justice over his death after he was allegedly assaulted by policemen during an arrest at a petrol station in Ayer Hangat last Monday.
In a Facebook posting, the man's sister Salwana Salleh, said the deceased had succumbed to his head injuries two days after being warded at the Sultanah Maliha Hospital.
In a viral video, a group of at least seven policemen in plainclothes were seen using force while arresting a man believed to Mohd Hafiz.
One of them was seen kicking the man's back before he was handcuffed and taken away.
In the later part of the video, Mohd Hafiz was seen warded in the ICU before he succumbed to injuries two days later.