KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 ― The police have clarified a suspected patient-under-surveillance who went to the Sentul police station to file a report earlier today was found to be a regular patient previously warded at Hospital Kuala Lumpur nearby.

Sentul police chief Assistant Commissioner S. Shamugamoorthy Chinniah said the police were subsequently informed by the hospital that the complainant was not a Covid-19 patient as alleged but a regular patient previously warded and treated at the hospital.

He also confirmed that the complainant did not wear a quarantine band as he was not under the mandatory Covid-19 quarantine.

Explaining the sequence of events, Shamugamoorthy said the complainant, an 82-year-old man, had gone to the police station to lodge a report at around 10.20am today.

"At the time, only the complainant and other police personnel were present at the reception counter.

"Initial observation by the counter personnel found that the complainant displayed suspected Covid-19 symptoms such as shortness of breath and a cough, and was believed to have just arrived from Hospital Kuala Lumpur,” he said in a statement here.

Shamugamoorthy added that police personnel immediately notified the hospital and an ambulance was dispatched to the police station at 11am to transport the complainant for a medical check-up.

"On the advice of medical personnel, the police also took the initiative to temporarily close the Sentul police station while awaiting test results from the hospital,” he said.

He also said sanitisation procedures were subsequently conducted throughout the compound of the Sentul police station and all personnel were not allowed to exit the compound until further notice by the hospital.

The police subsequently received an official confirmation from the hospital at 2.20pm.

Following that, Shamugamoorthy said the Sentul police station will resume normal operations at 4pm after a second sanitisation procedure has been conducted.

Earlier today, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador had disclosed that the complainant was there to report that he had been assaulted for allegedly violating his quarantine.

This comes after Abdul Hamid said the Health Ministry ordered the indefinite closure of the Sentul police station as a precaution after a person under the mandatory Covid-19 quarantine went there to file a report.