Family of slain man shut out of mortuary during post mortem ‘puzzling’

SIBU: Family members of Joshua Beti Chong — gunned down by Kuching police as a hired killer — were kept out of the mortuary building when a post mortem was conducted on his body in Sibu Hospital yesterday morning.

The family members said it was unusual for them to be kept out, and only Joshua’s son Limbing was allowed in to identify his father’s body.

Counsel Yap Hoi Liong, who accompanied the family yesterday morning, also thought it unusual for police to seal up the whole mortuary area, not allowing family members and reporters to stay in the common waiting area even.

“This has never happened before. Family members have never been asked to leave the common area. Police even went to the extent of locking the gate to keep out the family.”

Yap agreed that police should not be disturbed during a post mortem and that a family member had to identify the body.

“Police have never locked the gate to the common area.

What will the grief-stricken family think? This comes at a time when the police have not answered the doubts cast by the family members.”

He said the family doubted that Joshua had been hired to kill in six murders and an attempted murder, as claimed by the police.

Yap said the family pointed out that out of the seven cases, Joshua was serving his jail sentence in Sibu when three of the murders occurred.

“They cast this doubt during a press conference held on Feb 28.

They asked for an explanation from the police but until now, the police have sealed their lips.”

Yap, who is also Dudong assemblyman, feared the police’s behaviour yesterday would create misunderstanding with the family members.

The pathologist flew in from Kuching for yesterday’s post mortem but he entered through a side door so family members could not meet him at the main gate.

Yap called the police to probe the cause of deaths of Joshua, 44, and Awie Ningan, 36, both of whom were killed by Kuching police in Sibu who claimed the brothers were hired assassins in six murders and one attempted murder.

Yap said the family members were doubtful since they had an alibi for Joshua in three of the cases.

The family also claimed that Awie did not have a criminal record.

Yap called on the family members yesterday to cooperate fully with the police in the post mortem.

He told them they had the right to know the truth, and if dissatisfied, they could always lodge a police report and file an inquest in court.

The post mortem of Joshua was completed yesterday afternoon.

Family members said Awie’s wife Terinsa Jagan was still missing.

At the press conference on Feb 28, the brother of the slain duo, Mulok Jingan and his wife Melissa Malaya Mandi said Terinsa was last seen with his two brothers Joshua and Awie before they were killed at 1.30am on Feb 21.

The family lodged a police report that Terinsa had gone missing.