Case of elderly man who died during dog-catching ops classified as sudden death

27 May 2023 10:26am

Police revealed that the cause of death of the 79-year-old man was "respiratory arrest secondary to acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease”.

KUANTAN - The police have classified the case of an elderly man who died during an operation to catch stray dogs in Taman Saga, Bentong, last Wednesday as a sudden death.

Bentong district police chief Superintendent Zaiham Mohd Kahar said a post mortem carried out at the Bentong Hospital here revealed that the cause of death of the 79-year-old man was "respiratory arrest secondary to acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease”.

He said that two police reports were filed on the day of the incident, namely from a 55-year-old Bentong Municipal Council (MPB) officer and the victim’s 53-year-old daughter who informed that her father had collapsed and passed out in front of their house.

Zaiham said the police had recorded statements from the MPB officer, the victim’s daughter, as well as several witnesses to the incident.

"The public is advised not to speculate about the incident, make inappropriate comments on social media, or raise racial issues,” he said in a statement here late last night.

Zaiham also urged anyone who witnessed the incident to contact the operations room of the Bentong district police headquarters at 09-2222222 or the nearest police station to assist in the investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, Pahang Local Government, Housing, Environment and Green Technology Committee chairman Datuk Seri Johari Harun asked the public to wait for the outcome of the police investigation into the incident, adding that the MPB was giving its full cooperation to the authorities.

He said that the operation carried out by the Wild and Abandoned Animal Unit, Department of Public Health and Municipal Services which also involved four MPB-appointed contractors, was carried out in compliance with standard operating procedures (SOP). - BERNAMA