Family of dead detainee seeks PM's help

KAJANG: The family of Noorizwan Zulkefly, 42, who died while in police custody at Cheras district police headquarters, has sought the help of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar for a transparent investigation into his death.

The family turned up at Anwar's residence in Bandar Sungai Long this morning to hand over a memorandum to the prime minister's representative.

The family accompanied by their lawyers gathered at the guardhouse before being allowed into the compound.

The memorandum, submitted by Noorizwan's younger brother Nooranis Zulkefly and lawyers from Lawyers for Liberty (LFL), said the family had serious concerns over the injuries found on the deceased's body during the post-mortem.

The family is now seeking immediate action and a transparent investigation into his death.

A post-mortem at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM) revealed no damage to his internal organs but confirmed multiple external bodily injuries, police said.

The cause of death remains undetermined and has been classified as "pending laboratory analysis" while pathologists await toxicology and histology findings from the Chemistry Department.

Noorizwan was detained by police on Sept 19 by Cheras police for suspected drug possession and theft/housebreaking offences.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Fadil Marsus had said that Noorizwan had been managed in strict compliance with standard operating procedures before suddenly falling ill.

After 11 days in detention, he was transferred to HCTM on Sept 30 for emergency treatment and was pronounced dead early on Oct 1.

Fadil also highlighted that the deceased carried 44 prior criminal records, consisting of 18 narcotics infractions and 26 other offences, and had allegedly admitted to 17 unsolved break-ins across Cheras.

Bukit Aman's Criminal Investigation and Deaths in Custody Unit (USJKT) is leading the inquiry and to date have interviewed 78 individuals.