Prisoner escaping by feigning illness is first such case: Penang police chief

KEPALA BATAS: The ruse which let lock-up detainees visit their families by feigning illness is the first such case detected by the police.
“To my knowledge, this is the first case which has been detected by us. We are currently conducting our investigations and so I am not in a position to reveal more,” Penang police chief Datuk Chuah Ghee Lye said when pressed by journalists during a press conference today.
Chuah was asked if police were aware such a ruse was previously used by detainees at lock-up facilities to gain outside access after he attended a Hari Raya open house by the North Seberang Perai district police headquarters.
The question is being asked after a man charged for trafficking drugs escaped police custody on Sunday.
He, along with three others, were supposed to be taken to the Balik Pulau Hospital but were instead taken to visit their families at several locations in Sungai Ara.
The escapee, identified as Anuar Ayat, 43, then escaped police custody at Sungai Nibong Besar as policemen overseeing the custody are believed to be in cahoots with the suspects.
Eight rank and file policemen, aged between 20 to 45 and a fishermen have since been remanded for four days to assist investigations.
Chuah said investigators were now checking if the SOP on ill or sick detainees, as well as the usage of handcuffs, was followed that time.
He said police have to send detainees to the hospital immediately if a detainee was not feeling well.
“But whether the detainee is sick or not needs to be verified by doctors. We will also investigate whether the proper SOP was followed, such as whether the suspects were handcuffed,” he said.
Of those detained, Chuah said police believe one of them was the mastermind behind the operation but declined to reveal more as investigations were ongoing.
He said one of the policeman possessed disciplinary records while the records of the others were clean so far.
Chuah said investigators - from the CID, Management Department and the Integrity and Standard Compliance Department - were given seven days to complete their investigations.
“I will submit a comprehensive report to the IGP,” he added.
Earlier in GEORGE TOWN, Chuah said police believe Anuar was no longer in Penang but declined to say where police believe he is now.
He said police were still searching for clues to pinpoint the whereabouts of the suspect and that search efforts have been intensified.
He added investigators were also probing to see if anymore policemen were involved in the ruse.
“So far no other policemen have been found to be involved,” he added when approached by reporters at the Penang Umno Hari Raya open house.
In KUALA LUMPUR, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said police will take stern action on their men over the incident.
“We will take action on all the policemen involved. But first, we need to review if there’s any weakness in the standard operating procedures,” he said.
“If need be we will take action against the supervisors as well. We want to make this a lesson to all others,” he added.
Noor Rashid informed that police are still tracking the escapee who is believed to still be in the country.