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 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, one from a 55-year-old Bentong Municipal Council (MPB) officer and another from the victim’s 53-year-old daughter who said that her father had collapsed and become unconscious in front of their house.

According to Zaiham, 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 last night.

Zaiham also urged anyone who witnessed the incident to contact the operations room of the Bentong district police headquarters at 09-222 2222 or the nearest police station to assist in the investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, Pahang Local Government, Housing, Environment and Green Technology Committee chairman 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, Public Health and Municipal Services Department, which also involved four MPB-appointed contractors, was carried out in compliance with standard operating procedure. – Bernama, May 27, 2023.