Dr Pornthip roped in over death of Sugumar

Family lawyer Latheefa Koya said Pornthip was contacted recently and the latter had indicated that she is prepared to carry out the examination.

Latheefa said the only concern is whether the expert, called "Dr Death", will be able to conduct the autopsy herself. This requires an official authorisation from the Malaysian government.

“We have urgently written to the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) and the Health Ministry to allow Dr Pornthip to conduct the autopsy."

"We call upon the Prime Minister and the other relevant authorities to respond immediately to this request, as the family are unable to carry out the last rites until the second post-mortem is concluded," she added.

Pornthip, the Director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science at the Ministry of Justice in Bangkok is more widely recognised here as the expert who observed the second post-mortem on DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock.

Teoh was found dead in 2009 on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam after being interrogated overnight by the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on the 14th floor. The case forced the government to conduct an inquest and a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

In the current case of Sugumar, the 40-year-old security guard died after being chased by a mob on Jan 23, Hulu Langat.

Witness accounts reportedly claimed that Sugumar was handcuffed by policemen, smeared with turmeric -- a yellow powdered spice-- and allegedly beaten by a group of men. This led to claims that police brutality had directly caused the death.

However, a post-mortem findings of Serdang Hospital that Sugumar had died of a heart attack.

Police, who have not agreed to the family’s demand for a murder investigation, have sought an inquest into the case, which has been granted by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.