CID director claims ‘no cover up’ in the Kugan case

(Bernama) — The police have dismissed allegations of covering up the criminal culpability of police officers and men allegedly involved in, and leading to the death of A Kugan.

Criminal Investigations Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said such allegations were without foundation.

He said that in the past, a number of police officers were charged in court for similar offences.

“Indeed, last month, seven police officers were charged in a Kuala Lumpur court for causing hurt to a suspect at the Brickfields police station.

“In Kugan’s case, we just received the second post-mortem report yesterday, and we had promptly acted on it by consulting the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

“I therefore, appeal to the people to allow time and space for the investigators to do their jobs and for the prosecutors to carefully deliberate their next course of action,” he told reporters here today.

Kugan, 22, suspected of involvement in the theft of luxury cars in Kuala Lumpur and Johor, was detained by police on Jan 15. Four days later, he died while in police custody.

Speculation was rife over his death, following injuries on the body, despite the autopsy report stating that death was due to fluid accumulation in the lungs.

However, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail classified the case as  murder and Kugan’s death was not because there was water in his lungs. — MI