PETALING JAYA: Kedah, an elderly couple in Gurun, seek justice after their only son died in police custody about 12 hours after his arrest.

Elimination of Deaths and Abuse in Custody (Edict) Chairman M.Visvanathan said the last time the couple saw their son Mohd Afis Ahmad, 31, was when he was accompanied by six men believed to be plainclothes police , was brought home in handcuffs.

“He was also bleeding from his head and ears when he was brought home around 6pm on January 27th.

“His mother was informed that he would be taken to Alor Setar for an investigation, and Afis’ 12-year-old son also took a picture of his father’s injuries,” he said, adding that the police were there around the house to browse.

At around 6 a.m. the next day, Afis’ father Ahmad Daud, 64, received a call from the police informing him of his son’s death and that he was being taken from Yan Hospital for an autopsy to Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar.

Afis’ brother-in-law Shamsul Jamaluddin, 39, claimed the body, saying the deceased had bruises and a head wound as well.

Visvanathan said the cause of death had been given as blunt force trauma to the head.

“When Shamsul asked why Afis was arrested, they claimed he was suspected of posing as a police officer, but we have yet to confirm that,” he said.

He also said the family would not be aware of Afis’ arrest until the police come into the house and are told to go to the police station if they want more information.

According to the family, the police also searched the house for 30 minutes but left empty-handed.

Visvanathan said the next course of action would be to find out more details about the case before writing to the Attorney General’s chambers for an investigation.

“If there were any obvious elements that beat him to death, we don’t have to wait for an investigation and work to prosecute those responsible as there is no reason to beat inmates on the street.”

Head, “he said.

Meanwhile, Afis’ mother Asnah Ahmad, 65, said she wanted to know what really happened to her son while he was in custody.

“He was our youngest child and now I have only two children. I want justice and I hope a thorough investigation is done,” she said.

Shamsul said he wanted to know why Afis was taken to the hospital in the first place.

“This needs to be explained,” he said, adding that the family had been informed to go to Sg Petani to learn more about the case, where they also filed a police report on Jan. 28.

It is believed that the police report was then referred back to Yan.

Yan OCPD deputy Supt Shahnaz Akhtar Haji confirmed that a report has been prepared and that the police are investigating the case.

“We are now waiting for further details from the autopsy, such as data from the laboratory analysis, to continue,” he said when he was contacted.