JOHOR BARU: Bukit Aman has taken over the investigation into the death of Reserve Officers Training Unit (Palapes) cadet Syamsul Haris Shamsudin (pic), which has been reclassified as murder.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the probe is being handled by the Classified Crime Investigation Unit of Bukit Aman’s Prosecution and Legal Division (D5).
“Meaning it is no longer being handled by Johor police. I am unable to provide details as it is now under Bukit Aman’s jurisdiction,” he told reporters after attending the monthly assembly at the state police contingent headquarters here yesterday.
Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) said it will extend full cooperation to the authorities following the decision of the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to reclassify the case as murder.
The university said it is committed to assisting the police and armed forces in any further investigation, adding that it will not protect any party.
“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,” it said in a statement yesterday.
On Tuesday, the AGC directed that the death of Syamsul Haris be reclassified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code for further investigation.
It said the decision was made after it was briefed on the findings of the police investigation into the 22-year-old’s death.
Syamsul Haris died on July 28 at Hospital Kota Tinggi after undergoing training at the Army Combat Training Centre in Ulu Tiram. He was buried the following 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 individuals involved or responsible.
He said the investigation papers will be resubmitted to the AGC for further direction.
The case was previously classified as a sudden death report.
