Bukit Aman integrity and standards compliance department director Azri Ahmad said the man died yesterday while receiving treatment at Selayang hospital.

Earlier, the man, who was on the wanted list, had complained of having breathing difficulties.

He had been arrested to facilitate police investigation into a drug case and brought to the Gombak district police headquarters

Azri said that at 5.30pm yesterday, the suspect complained of breathing difficulties and police sent him to Selayang hospital for treatment.

“At 6.30pm on the same day, the hospital confirmed that he died while receiving treatment. The cause of death has yet to be ascertained,” he said in a statement.

This would be the eighth death in custody case this year.

Previously, Azri had confirmed that there had been seven cases of custodial deaths since January, and only one of them was found to involve criminal elements.

Of the seven cases, four died in lockups, two died in hospital, and one case death occurred while on the way to the hospital.

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