Fatal fall of M'sia senior police officer, 42, allegedly linked to 'khalwat' raid deemed accidental

A senior Malaysian police officer died after falling from a condominium in Shah Alam during what local Chinese media reported was a raid linked to an alleged "khalwat", or close proximity, complaint.

However, Selangor police have since said the fatal fall was believed to be accidental in nature, and that no criminal elements had been found, according to The Star.

Alleged fall during khalwat raid

The case drew intense online speculation after Oriental Daily reported that officers from Bukit Aman’s Integrity and Standards Compliance Department, or JIPS, had gone to a condominium unit in Section 14, Shah Alam at about 2:10am on May 20 to investigate a complaint involving khalwat.

This refers to being in close proximity with someone of the opposite sex, who is not their spouse or family member.

The officers knocked on the door several times and identified themselves as police, but allegedly received no response from inside the unit.

After waiting for almost an hour, officers reportedly found a key outside the unit and used it to open the iron grille at the main door. Inside, officers allegedly found a woman alone in a dark living room.

Police saw body: Malaysian media

The outlet reported that officers did not initially find anyone else in the unit.

However, while inspecting the balcony area near the kitchen, they allegedly found a chair and several pieces of clothing tied to the iron bars of the balcony.

When the officers looked down, they reportedly discovered a man’s body lying on his back on the fifth floor of the building.

The woman was later identified, through checks on her identification documents, as being from Kapit, Sarawak, reported Oriental Daily.

An ambulance was called, and the Shah Alam district police headquarters was informed.

It is understood that the deceased was a 42-year-old police officer with the rank of Inspector and was assigned to the Serious Crime Investigation Division, Selangor Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK).

Police: No criminal elements found

However, the police later released a statement saying there were "no criminal elements" in the case.

“There are no criminal elements. As of now, we believe the death was accidental,” Shazeli said.

Shazeli said the post-mortem had been completed, and that Mohd Firdaus’ body had been buried in his hometown in Kuantan, Pahang.

“This is all I would say on this incident,” he added.

He also warned that untrue or defamatory speculation over the incident could be investigated, The Star reported.

The Shah Alam district police headquarters control centre received information about the incident at about 3:07am on May 20, according to a statement posted on their Facebook page.

The officer was confirmed dead at the scene, and the case was initially classified as sudden death pending post-mortem results.

Mohd Firdaus had served the police force for 18 years, according to a follow-up statement paying tribute to him after his death, with his last posting at the CID of the Selangor police contingent headquarters.

Online speculation followed officer’s sudden death

The death drew speculation online, with some social media users questioning how the officer could have fallen at such an early hour of the morning and whether there were other circumstances surrounding the incident.

Screenshots of Facebook comments showed users speculating, without evidence, about whether the officer had been involved in a high-profile investigation, whether CCTV footage was unavailable, and whether “something” was being hidden.

A Threads post claimed that the policeman had not died by suicide, but had allegedly been “running away from an inspection” after being caught in close proximity with a woman from Sarawak.

These claims have not been verified, and Selangor police have since reiterated that the death is believed to have been accidental, with no criminal elements found.