ROBBERY, SERIAL RAPE SUSPECT FOUND HANGED IN POLICE LOCK-UP

ALOR STAR, Nov 23 (Bernama) -- An armed robbery and serial rape suspect was found dead, hanging from a towel, in the Kota Star district police headquarters' lock-up yesterday.

Kedah police chief Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said the suspect was believed to have committed suicide between 3pm and 5.30pm before he was found hanging from the towel in the lock-up.

He said the suspect had been remanded since Friday after he was believed to have been involved in an armed robbery at a goldsmith shop in Jitra recently.

"He was also suspected of being involved in a series of rape in Kulim," added Syed Ismail when contacted, here, today.

He said the suspect's death would be investigated and police were waiting for the post-mortem report. The suspect's mother, S. Kanaghambal, 54, said she was informed about her son's death by two policemen who came to her house in Taman Lobak Paya, Kulim about 8pm.

"I knew about my son's arrest from a friend of his but I didn't know for what offence and where he had been taken to.

"Last night, I was told that he had died in the police lock-up. He is believed to have committed suicide but I don't believe that my son Suria could have done it as he had no problems, including mental," she said when met today. (Bernama)