Owners of beauty centre detained over death of client (updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: A 23-year-old model died at the operating table after allegedly undergoing liposuction at a beauty salon here which reportedly did not have the proper licence to carry out medical procedures.

Sin Chew Daily quoted the victim's brother as saying that his sister, who was identified as Coco Siew, paid RM2,500 to undergo the procedure on Saturday (17 October) in preparation for her upcoming wedding.

She arrived at the beauty salon at about 2.30pm accompanied by friends and had anaesthesia injected into her arms.

However, she felt her heart slow down and experienced convulsions just 30 minutes later.

She was rushed to the hospital, but died at about 5pm, the paper said.

The brother said the owners of beauty salon allegedly admitted that they only had a beauty salon permit.

He added that Siew was supposed to be married at the end of the year to her fiancé who is now in South Africa.

The brother added that the family lodged a police report on the incident.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Saiful Azly Kamaruddin said the beauty salon owners have been detained for investigations.

He added that the two owners are a woman and her daughter, saying that both of them have been detained to assist the investigation under Section 304 of the Penal Code.

Section 304 of the Penal Code is the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Comm Saiful said the victim lost consciousness after being injected on the arm.

"She was rushed to a nearby hospital and died soon after. We are still ascertaining the cause of death," he told reporters on Monday (Oct 19).