Custodial Death - Kamran Illyas in Penjara Kajang

HAYAT has received information of the death of Kamran Illyas in Penjara Kajang on 6 February 2026. His cause of death was reported to have been a heart attack.

Kamran Illyas was a Pakistani drug courier serving a 30-year prison sentence. He suffered from diabetes and had part of his right foot amputated due to complications. Despite his diabetic condition, he underwent 12 lashes as part of his new sentence. While in Penjara Bentong around September 2025, he suffered a stroke and was hospitalized. After treatment, he was returned to prison but required the continued use of a urinary catheter and was reported to be receiving medical care.

He was later transferred to Penjara Kajang sometime around 13 January 2026. With his lawyer’s assistance, he was able to speak to his wife on 22 January 2026. During the call, he complained about beatings, being caned, and being threatened.

HAYAT calls for an immediate investigation into Kamran Illyas’ death. His cause of death and the sequence of events leading up to it must be examined and scrutinised to ensure that no foul play, negligence, or neglect contributed to his death.

Kamran leaves behind his wife and two children, whom he has not seen in person since he travelled to Malaysia in 2011. 

Case Background

Kamran Illyas was detained in Malaysia for drug trafficking in 2011. He was trafficked into Malaysia as an illegal migrant worker. While queuing at the immigration counter, his recruiter passed him a duffel bag filled with books and asked him to carry them. Heroin was later found in the spine of sealed books. He was acquitted by the High Court in 2015, but his acquittal was later overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2018.

2010 – 2018 Procedural Purgatory

Arrested in 2010, Kamran was acquitted by the High Court in 2013 — a verdict that should have restored his liberty. Instead, in 2018, the acquittal was overturned and replaced with a death sentence.

2022 – 2024 Systemic Erosion

Between 2022 and 2023, Kamran attempted suicide twice following the confiscation of writing materials and the denial of medical access.

By 2024, the neglect turned physical: diabetic complications necessitated the amputation of his right foot. Despite this, the Federal Court resentenced him to 30 years and ordered 12 strokes of the cane. The whipping was temporarily stayed in October due to dangerous blood sugar levels.

2025 Institutional Neglect

The reprieve was short-lived. By March 2025, the 12 strokes were administered. In September, Kamran suffered a cerebral infarct, leaving him paralysed on the left side. His care in Perlis fell to reluctant cellmates rather than medical staff.

Kamran was moved to Bentong Prison in November. There, the neglect became septic — a wheelchair-bound prisoner left with unchanged urine bags for days, while insulin was withheld and wounds festered.

2026 Final Days in Kajang Prison

On January 13th, Kamran was transferred to Kajang Prison. He reportedly died in custody early February. While authorities cited a heart attack as the cause of death, his wife, Naila, reports that Kamran’s final phone call detailed beatings by guards. Following these conflicting accounts, the family has requested a formal verification of the cause of death.