Lawyers urge action against police over alleged assault of wrongly arrested Malaysian youth

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Lawyers representing a 20-year-old Malaysian man have urged the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) integrity and standards compliance department to immediately initiate disciplinary proceedings and criminal charges against officers accused of assault and torture.

The legal team said their client, who asked to be known as Daniel, was wrongly arrested and severely abused by police officers in Banting, Selangor, last month.

Speaking at a press conference on 22 December 2025 at Lawyers for Liberty’s office in Petaling Jaya, lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan said police investigations must never involve physical violence or coercion.

“Investigation is about asking questions. You can choose to answer or not answer. It is not about beating up a person,” Rajesh said.

He added that the officers involved should be charged in court for battery, and called on the PDRM integrity and standards compliance department to act without delay.

Arrest at grandfather’s home and allegations of assault

Daniel was arrested on 15 November 2025 at his grandfather’s home in Banting.

He alleged that three men entered the house under the pretext of seeking help to repair a motorcycle.

According to Daniel, the men later identified themselves as police officers and immediately assaulted him, accusing him of involvement in a robbery.

He said he was beaten until he confessed, despite having no involvement in the alleged crime.

Daniel further alleged that the abuse continued even while he was unconscious in a police vehicle.

He claimed that one officer pressed a cigarette against his lip and used a lighter to burn his genitals during the ordeal.

“He was smoking a cigarette and while doing that, he took the cigarette and pressed it against my lip,” Daniel said.

“He took a lighter and burned my private parts with it,” he added.

Claims of torture while in police custody

Daniel said he was beaten, kicked, punched and slapped repeatedly without any warning from the moment of his arrest.

Former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Latheefa Koya, who is part of the legal team, said the case involved mistaken identity.

“The police themselves admitted they got the wrong person,” Latheefa said.

“But the beatings and the kicking already happened from the very beginning,” she added.

CCTV footage presented as key evidence

At the press conference, Latheefa presented CCTV footage taken from Daniel’s grandfather’s house in Banting.

The lawyers said the recordings clearly captured the assault and supported Daniel’s account of events.

They warned that immediate action was necessary to prevent any attempt to suppress, interfere with or manipulate evidence.

Mother alleges pressure to withdraw police report

Daniel’s mother also addressed the press conference, saying she lodged a police report on 18 November 2025 after seeing her son with visible injuries.

She said Daniel’s face was swollen and showed clear signs of physical abuse when she first saw him following the arrest.

According to her, she was later pressured to withdraw the police report in order to reach what was described to her as a “win-win situation”.

She alleged that she was told her son’s case would be dropped if she withdrew the complaint against the police.

However, she said she was also warned that pursuing the report could expose her son to a potential prison sentence of up to 14 years.

By comparison, she said the alleged police wrongdoing was described to her as carrying a possible sentence of two years’ imprisonment and a fine of RM2,000, or approximately US$490.

Medical findings and police response

Rajesh Nagarajan said medical reports from Banting Hospital corroborated Daniel’s claims of abuse.

He said the hospital confirmed Daniel suffered soft tissue injury to his right shoulder, multiple abrasion wounds on his legs, and burn marks on his lower lip.

Police have since confirmed that Daniel was wrongly identified as a suspect and classified the case as no further action.

Despite the admission of mistaken identity, the lawyers stressed that the officers involved must still be held accountable for the alleged violence.

They emphasised that the case raised broader concerns about police conduct, abuse of power and the protection of detainees’ rights.

The legal team said they would continue to pursue disciplinary and criminal action if no immediate steps are taken by the authorities.