LAHAD DATU: Police have initiated investigation on four siblings after ‘snatching’ their deceased father’s body from Lahad Datu Hospital on Wednesday.
District police chief, ACP Rohan Shah Ahmad in a statement on Thursday night said the incident occurred when the siblings refused to leave their deceased father to be taken care by the hospital according to the standard operating procedure (SOP).
Rohan said prior to the incident, a 58-year-old unconscious man was taken to the emergeny ward at about 8.30pm.
The man was later placed at the Patient Under Investigation (PUI) zone outside the ward following his previous history of treatment for stroke and brain damage in Sandakan Duchess of Kent Hospital.
While in the PUI zone, the man was given CPR for about 30 minute, but he could not be saved.
Following the demise of the man, medical personnel briefed the family of the deceased on the protocols for handling bodies during the Covid-19 pandemic and the need for Covid-19 swab test to be carried out on the deceased.
The family was told that it was also necessary for the body to be kept in the hospital morgue until the result of Covid-19 test was obtained.
The medical officers told them that all these protocols were necessary as to avoid any risk of infection as their father was under PUI.
Upon briefed by the medical officers, the family refused to leave their father’s remains in the hospital and immediately took the body home with the help from other family members.
“Acting on information, a team of police from the Crime Investigation Division went to raid an unnumbered house in Kampung Panji.
“During the raid, four person including a woman aged between 26 and 31 who were the children of the deceased were detained for investigation,” he said.
According to Rohan, the team also found the deceased body inside the living room of the house.
Rohan said the case is being investigated under Section 270 of the Penal Code for the offence of malignant act likely to spread infection of any disease hazardous to life.
He added that the case will also be investigated under Section 22(b) of Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease Act 1988.