Kedah police chief Fisol Salleh said he ordered the reclassification after an autopsy found that the man had died from blunt force trauma to the head.
“I have ordered for officers from the police headquarters to take over from the Langkawi police to avoid any bias.
“We are investigating this from all angles, including possible elements of excessive force,” Berita Harian reported him as saying to reporters at the Kedah police headquarters.
A video previously went viral showing several people, believed to be policemen, attempting to detain a man at a petrol station in Langkawi.
Fisol said so far, 13 people had come forward to give their statements to aid the investigation into the man’s death, including six policemen who were involved and seven witnesses at the scene.
“Based on the video, public testimony, and the 13 people we have taken statements from, I feel that we will get the results in the near future,” he said.
Fisol said that a team of officers from the Langkawi police headquarters’ narcotics criminal investigation department detained a suspicious-looking local man on Jan 29.
“A struggle occurred during the arrest of the 31-year-old man,” he said.
Fisol said inspections found a straw filled with powder, believed to be 0.21g of heroin, in the man’s right pants pocket, and that the case is being investigated under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for possession.
He said the urine test administered after the man’s arrest found him positive for morphine-type drugs, and that an investigation is also being carried out under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for drug consumption.
Fisol said police brought the suspect to the Kuah health clinic at 8pm to treat his injuries, after which he became unconscious.
The suspect was then referred to Sultanah Maliha Hospital in Langkawi and held at the red zone of the emergency department’s ward before he was confirmed dead.
Fisol said an autopsy at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital on Feb 2 found that the death was due to blunt force trauma to the head.
“Following the suspect’s death, an investigation was carried out to find the cause of death,” he said.
He added that the police would be professional and transparent in their investigation of the case, and urged the public against making speculations that would harm the investigation.