On 21 May 2013, the nation was shocked by news of N.Dharmendran’s death after being detained for 10 days at IPK Kuala Lumpur with his body showing clear signs of torture, having among others things staples still attached on his ears.
Even though Kuala Lumpur CID Police Chief Ku Chin Wah initially tried to play down his death by saying he died from “breathing difficulties or asthma,” however after pressure from the deceased family’s lawyers and the post-mortem which confirmed that he died from beatings, three police officers Sergeant Jaffri Jaafar, Corporal Mohd Nahar Abdul Rahman and Corporal Mohd Haswadi Zamri Shaari were finally charged for murder on 5 June 2013.
However, a fourth police officer suspect, having the rank of inspector remains at large. Until today, the police have withheld his identity and have not revealed his photograph or other details that would assist in his swift apprehension. There also do not seem to be any public alerts or manhunt for the inspector despite the high profile nature of the crime.
The PDRM’s lackadaisical and irresponsible attitude should be contrasted with the Singapore Police Force which recently had to address a gruesome double murder by one of their officers. On 13 July 2013, Ng Joo Hee, Singapore Police Commissioner in a public apology stressed that “the public’s trust in the police is the only reason they are able to keep Singapore as safe as it is … this trust is hard-earned and must never be broken” and vowed to prosecute the officer to the maximum extent for the heinous crime that he is accused of committing.
The PDRM are well advised to emulate their counterpart’s attitude in Singapore by taking crimes committed by their officers more seriously and addressing the public’s lack of trust and confidence rather than playing down or covering up crimes perpetrated by one of their own.
We therefore call upon the PDRM to utilise their vast resources and swiftly apprehend the inspector concerned and prosecute him to the maximum extent for Dharmendran’s murder.
Released by:
Eric Paulsen
Co-founder & Adviser
Lawyers for Liberty
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