Kedah police chief Fisol Salleh said the 51-year-old man was found hanging in his cell at 5.30am.

Utusan Malaysia reported Fisol as saying the suspect, who was being investigated for drug trafficking under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, was under remand for seven days from Aug 4 to 10.

Fisol said the case had been classified as a sudden death and is being probed by Bukit Aman’s death in custody investigation unit (USJKT)

“All personnel on duty during the incident will be temporarily transferred to other branches until the investigation is completed,” he told reporters at the Kedah police headquarters.

“The investigation will also ensure that all administrative instructions related to lockups and the Lockup Rules 1953 were followed.”

He said police will ensure a “transparent and fair investigation” as the matter was of public interest.

On June 12, deputy home minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah told the Dewan Rakyat that the number of deaths in police custody had dropped by 48% to 24 cases in 2022, compared to 46 in 2021 after the USJKT was established.

Shamsul said the unit had found two cases with criminal elements. One involved a case in Taiping which is now the subject of a trial. The other case in Kelantan is still being investigated.

Six cases have been referred to the coroner’s court. Inquest proceedings are already being held on four of them while the other two are still pending.