Death in custody: Dharmendran's wife awarded RM490k

Marry Mariay Susay (above), the wife of N Dharmendran who died in police custody in 2013, has been awarded RM490,200 in damages and costs by the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Marry's lawyer N Surendran said the Kuala Lumpur High Court had found both the police and the government liable for Dharmendran's death.

Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim awarded RM440,200 in damages to Marry, and an additional RM50,000 in costs.

Dharmendran was found dead at the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters on May 21, 2013.

According to the post-mortem, Dharmendran died from multiple blunt force trauma.

There were also puncture wounds and bruises throughout his body. Surendran said someone had also stapled Dharmendran's ear lobes.

Dhamendran was arrested on May 11 with three others over a gang fight involving firearms.

Four police officers implicated in Dharmendran's death were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

However, the Kuala Lumpur High Court acquitted the four men - S Hare Krishnan, Jaffri Jaffar, Mohd Nahar Abd Rahman and Mohd Haswadi Zamri Shaari - and the Court of Appeal and Federal Court upheld the decision.

The court had found that the evidence against the four men was incomplete for a conviction.