Up and coming Selangor under-19 football players S Ruban and A Santhra Kumar claimed today that they were handcuffed and beaten by three plainclothes police officers in full public view.

The drama unfolded at about 4.15pm yesterday when the duo were on their way to football practice and made an illegal U-turn on their motorbike in Taman Rawang.

Nearby was an unmarked Proton Wira, where one of the three passengers allegedly shouted at them and flashed an obscene hand gesture.

Ruban (right in photo) replied in the same manner and left the scene, unaware that the car was tailing them.

When the car caught up with the motorbike, three individuals claiming to be policemen handcuffed the duo and started beating them in full view of others nearby.

Why the hand gesture?

They were later allegedly taken to the Rawang police station and placed in a lock-up where the beating continued. When their aggressors left, Ruban managed to use his mobile phone to contact his coach and relatives.

Later, a relative of Ruban arrived at the station and managed to secure their release at around 6.40pm. They were never charged with any offences.

The duo were later taken to a hospital for a check-up. Medical reports indicate that they sustained injuries to the chest and scalp. A police report on the matter was lodged at the Selayang district police headquarters.

At a press conference organised by MIC Youth legal aid chief T Rajasekaran (left in photo), Ruban questioned why he was treated as such by the police.

"If I did wrong, why should the police show me that (obscene) sign? They should just issue me with a summons," said Ruban, 17.

Unlawful detention

Rajasekaran, who is also Ruban's lawyer, said that while waiting for police investigations to take place, MIC Youth also hoped that an independent body would investigate the case.

He said that the police personnel involved had also neglected their obligations to contact Ruban's parents regarding his detention as he was still considered a juvenile.

"On behalf of the MIC Youth, we will also be writing a complaint letter to the Selangor police chief (Yahaya Udin) and Inspector General of Police (Bakri Omar) tomorrow," he said.

Rajasekaran also urged the those who faced similar predicaments to make their cases public.

"This is a case of unlawful detention [...] Such cases (of alleged police abuse) are happening. The victims should voice up through the press. We don't want such cases to recur," he said.

The press conference was held at Rajasekaran's office in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Also present was Puchong MIC information chief G Radakrishnan, who is Ruban's uncle.