At least 51 men were detained in a series of raids on Sunday in connection with what Malaysian police described as a drug-fuelled “gay party” held at a Kuala Lumpur hotel.
Homosexuality is criminalised in Muslim-majority Malaysia, which operates a dual-track legal system with Islamic laws for Muslims running alongside a civil code.
Sodomy is a crime and sharia laws ban same-sex acts and cross-dressing.
Police arrested the men, aged between 21 and 52 and including 28 foreigners, in four separate raids, narcotics department director Hussein Omar Khan said in a statement late on Monday.
Authorities also seized illicit drugs, including MDMA, ecstasy pills and powder, and ketamine, he said.
“This group was found to be using rooms in upscale hotels for entertainment and drug abuse and it was believed to be involved in immoral activities,” he said, adding that the case was being investigated under the Dangerous Drugs Act.
Prior to the raids, one man suspected of being at the party was found unconscious in the lobby of the hotel. He was taken to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital and pronounced dead upon arrival, Mr Khan said.
He did not provide details about the cause of death.
The men detained were remanded in custody for three to six days as investigations continued, he said.
He added that 36 of the men tested positive for drugs.
Rights groups warn that LGBT people in Malaysia are under increasing scrutiny and face growing intolerance.
In 2025, Kuala Lumpur police said that they would review procedures after 171 people detained on suspicion of same-sex activities following a raid were released without charge after no evidence was found to prosecute them.
LGBT advocacy groups had accused police of holding some of the detainees unlawfully for nearly two days even after a court had ordered their release.