According to police, the 36-year-old jumped to his death from the second floor of the IPD where he was being questioned, with an initial report stating that he passed away due to “severe facial injuries”.
He was brought in yesterday after allegedly stealing a gas cylinder and was remanded for four days to assist in the investigation.
His death comes in the wake of security guard S Sivabalan’s death at the Gombak police station on May 20. A week later, on May 27, Surendran Shanker died at the Kluang hospital after being held at the Simpang Renggam prison in Johor.
According to the police’s initial report, Umar, whose hands were handcuffed behind his back, was being taken down from the third floor to the first floor of the IPD’s criminal investigation department after his statement was recorded.
A scuffle with a policeman ensued on the second floor, with Umar then jumping through the window at the staircase. The report also stated Umar had previous police records.
Lawyer M Manoharan, who is representing Umar’s family, said that “something must have happened” for the police to state that Umar wanted to escape.
“I urge the public prosecutor to charge the policemen involved for manslaughter under Section 304 of the Penal Code or criminal negligence under Section 328 of the Penal Code at the very least,” he told FMT.
Manoharan said Umar, a father of three, was arrested while at home with his wife in Kuala Selangor yesterday.
His wife, Humairah Abdullah, came to the IPD this morning after being told to bring him some food but she was unable to meet him.
Manoharan said that Humairah was still waiting there in the afternoon when she saw an ambulance arrive to take a patient, who she later found out was her husband.
Umar’s post-mortem is scheduled for tomorrow morning.
A police officer at the IPD told FMT that Selangor police chief Arjunaidi Mohamed will provide more details about Umar’s death at a press conference tomorrow.
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