FIVE DETAINED TO ASSIST INVESTIGATION INTO DEATH OF DISABLED FRIEND

SEREMBAN, July 14 (Bernama) -- Five individuals have been detained to assist investigation into the death of their male friend, a person with disability, at a hotel swimming pool in Batu 3, Port Dickson, near here, yesterday.

Port Dickson police chief, Supt Aidi Sham Mohamed, said the two men and three women, all locals aged between 31 and 36, were detained at the Port Dickson district police headquarters and remanded for seven days from today.

He said earlier, the police received a report about the incident involving a 38-year-old man with hemiplegia, drowned while bathing in the pool and was later pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

"One of the five individuals filed a report at 7.48 am yesterday. Investigations revealed that the victim and his five friends had come from Subang Jaya, Selangor for a birthday celebration and had been staying at the hotel since last Thursday.

"The victim and his friends were bathing in the pool around 2 am when they were noticed by hotel staff who intervened to stop them,"  he said in a statement today.

Aidi Sham said the autopsy results indicated the cause of death was drowning and the case is still under investigation.

"A background check also revealed that two of them have criminal and narcotics records. The initial urine screening test for all five also tested positive for THC-type drugs," he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

--BERNAMA