JOHOR BARU: Bukit Aman has taken over the investigation into the death of Reserve Officers Training Unit (Palapes) cadet Syamsul Haris Shamsudin, with the case now reclassified as murder.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the investigation is now under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Bukit Aman, managed by the Classified Crime Investigation Unit (USJT) of the Prosecution and Legal Division (D5). As a result, Johor police are no longer handling the case.
He made these remarks at a press conference after attending the state police monthly assembly at the Johor police headquarters on Wednesday (Dec 3).
Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has stated it will fully cooperate with the authorities, following the Attorney General’s Chambers’ (AGC) decision to reclassify the case as murder.
UTM said it is committed to assisting the police and the armed forces, and would not protect any party found to be involved.
"UTM remains steadfast in upholding transparency and the rule of law, and we will leave it entirely to the authorities to complete their investigations to ensure justice is served," the university said.
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On Tuesday (Dec 2), the AGC directed that Syamsul Haris’s death be reclassified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code for further investigation.
The decision followed a briefing on the findings of the police investigation into the 22-year-old’s death.
Syamsul Haris died on July 28 at Kota Tinggi Hospital after undergoing training at the Army Combat Training Centre in Ulu Tiram.
He was buried the next day at the Kampung Rinching Ulu Muslim Cemetery in Semenyih, Selangor.
Bukit Aman CID director Datuk M. Kumar said the investigation will now focus on identifying those responsible.
The investigation papers will be resubmitted to the AGC for further direction, in accordance with Article 145 of the Federal Constitution.
He also reminded the public not to speculate while the police complete their investigation, out of respect for the principles of criminal justice.
The case was previously classified as a sudden death report (SDR). It was fully taken over by the Classified Crime Investigation Unit (USJT) of Bukit Aman’s Prosecution and Legal Division (D5) on Aug 27, following a Shah Alam High Court order that allowed the family’s application for exhumation and a second post-mortem.
