Describing the trend of deaths in police custody as worrying, it said police must take serious steps to address the problem, with eight cases reported this year alone.

“In the latest case in the Gombak police headquarters, we urge the police to provide a report that can answer several questions.

“First, how could the suspect suffer breathing difficulty less than an hour after being detained? What immediate action did the police take after he complained of this?” Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy said in a statement.

He urged the police to elaborate on the victim’s condition before and after his arrest and whether there had been a scuffle when he was apprehended.

“We also want the police to make the post mortem report public so that they can be seen as being transparent.

“If the Criminal Investigation Unit on Deaths in Custody is sincere in wanting to prevent more such cases, they have to be transparent in managing the issue,” he said.

The 39-year-old man, who was wanted for drug-related cases, died at the Selayang hospital on Monday. He was taken to the hospital after complaining of breathing difficulties.

Besides this, police had said there were seven other cases of custodial deaths since January, and only one of them was found to involve criminal elements.

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

Sevan also took a jab at the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) for being slow in handling the death in custody cases.

It questioned why there were no automatic inquests for custodial deaths as outlined in the Criminal Procedure Code.

“The home ministry has been dilly-dallying in this matter. Why is there no coordination among the police, the home ministry and the AGC in investigations and follow-ups on this issue?” he asked.