Malaysian police said Wednesday they have begun an inquiry into claims by a mechanic that police squeezed his genitals with a pair of pliers to try to make him confess to a theft.
S. Ganasan lodged a complaint with police Tuesday about the alleged assault on November 1 in the southern state of Malacca, while he was being questioned about a theft of workshop tools from his employer.
Ganasan, a father of three, was quoted by Bernama news agency as saying Tuesday that police took him to a room and told him to admit to stealing the tools.
"I was ordered to strip naked and the two policemen threatened to beat me with their belts and a hammer ... they then took a pair of pliers and squeezed my hand, chest and private parts," he said.
Ganasan, who denied knowledge of the theft, said he was released after being questioned but still suffered pain two weeks later.
Malacca criminal investigation chief Ahmad Nasiruddin Mohamad Shari said Wednesday that an investigation team has taken a statement from Ganasan, who has been admitted for a check-up at a hospital.
The two policemen would be charged in court if the claims were true, he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Ganasan's case was the latest in a series of allegations of police brutality.
Last month a suspect who was shot and blinded in one eye during interrogation said police officers were playing Russian roulette with him at the time.
How Soon Hock said he was also beaten with a hosepipe and given electric shocks at a police station near Kuala Lumpur.
Police have said an officer was holstering his pistol when it "accidentally exploded." They have classified the case as negligence.
On Monday a Thai tourist was quoted as saying that she was detained in a police cell for 10 days for no reason and indecently assaulted by some officers. Police said they were investigating her complaint.
Last week 26 people arrested at a rally in support of ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim reported injuries as a result of alleged police beatings -- KUALA LUMPUR (AFP)
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