Police arrest five outside UMMC mortuary

(Bernama) PETALING JAYA, 28 Jan 2009: Police arrested five men from among a crowd outside the mortuary of the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) today just before the hearse bearing the body of A Kugan was to begin the funeral procession to Puchong.

Three of the men were held for wearing T-shirts bearing the word "Hindraf", the name for the outlawed Hindu Rights Action Force, and the other two for a scuffle with police, said Petaling Jaya police chief ACP Arjunaidi Mohamed.

The hearse carrying the body of Kugan, a suspect who had died while in police custody at the Taipan police station in Subang Jaya on 20 Jan, left the UMMC mortuary at 2pm for the cemetery at Batu 14, Puchong.

Police had earlier advised the crowd at the mortuary to disperse to facilitate the funeral procession comprising the family members, other relatives and friends of Kugan.

The crowd, which had gathered there as early as 8am, dispersed at 1.45pm.

Kugan, 22, who was detained on 15 Jan at the Taipan police station on suspicion of being involved in the theft of luxury cars in Sungai Chua, Kajang, had died while being questioned.

Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar had said a post-mortem found that Kugan had died due to fluid in his lungs but Kugan's family sought a second post-mortem, insisting that Kugan had died of injuries.

Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said later that Kugan's death had been classified as murder.

A second post-mortem on Kugan has since been done at the UMMC. — Bernama