KUANTAN (Bernama) – Police detained seven men, including a bus driver, to assist in investigations over a fight in the Gambang rest and recreational area (R&R) here, which went viral on social media since yesterday.
Kuantan district police chief ACP Mohamad Noor Yusof Ali said the suspects, aged between 32 and 44, were detained separately from yesterday evening to early this morning, around Kuantan and Maran.
“Five suspects were arrested at 8.30pm yesterday while presenting themselves to the Maran district police headquarters. Another was arrested on 9pm yesterday in front of a convenience store in Inderapura here, who was later found to be positive for drugs.
“The last arrest involves the 32-year-old bus driver at Kuantan IPD at 1.15am this morning,” he told reporters here today.
Mohamad Noor said the police had obtained a four-day remand order for the suspects to facilitate investigations under section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting which provides a maximum jail term of two years or fine or both, upon conviction.
Mohamad Noor also confirmed that a stall owner at the R&R had lodged a police report claiming that two of his shop assistants were slapped, strangled and kicked by a bus driver who often ate at the stall due to a misunderstanding.
“He claimed that his employees were assaulted after asking the bus driver to pay another RM1 to cover the price of nasi lemak that was sold for RM2. However, he (the stall owner) did not want any action to be taken against the bus driver as he said that his employees had no serious injuries,” he said.
Mohamad Noor added that during questioning, the two shop assistants claimed they did not know about the incident of the bus driver being beaten and they did not recognise the men in the video.
He said the bus driver also lodged a report in Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu at 3.30pm yesterday, claiming to be beaten by some unidentified men whom he believed due to a complaint by the shop assistant.
Yesterday, a one minute and 48 seconds video went viral on social media showing a brawl at the east-bound Gambang R&R at 1.30am, Dec 24, allegedly due to dissatisfaction over a certain matter.
-BERNAMA
