Police have confirmed that a Nepali security guard whose assault on video went viral last week is being investigated for allegedly outraging the modesty of an Indonesian woman.
“He is being investigated under Section 354 (of the Penal Code) and is now in the Jinjang lockup,” Kuala Lumpur CID chief Nik Ros Azhan Nik Ab Hamid told FMT.
“We are still waiting on results from the immigration department whether he has valid documents,” he added.
Section 354 of the Penal Code provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine, caning, or any two of such punishments.
The security guard was arrested by the Sexual, Women and Child Investigations Division (D11) after he turned himself in at the Wangsa Maju police station at 5.30pm yesterday.
The guard, Eslam Husen, gave his statement over the assault by a fellow Nepali – identified as Ram Gopal Murau.
The 26-year-old was then detained by police after a separate report was lodged against him.
“Based on our investigation, the suspect had molested an Indonesian woman aged 40 inside a lift of a mall.
“The suspect slapped the victim’s buttocks when she was waiting for the lift and then followed her inside the lift and touched her inappropriately. The victim retaliated and kicked him, only then he left,” Nik Ros told Malay Mail.
He said the woman had confronted the suspect three days later and the suspect apologised to her.
The woman accepted his apology and subsequently did not lodge a police report.
Nik Ros said after hearing about the incident, the head of security, also a Nepali, confronted the suspect and then assaulted him.
Eslam’s lawyer Sumitha Shaanthinni Kishna said that the police told her that although the alleged incident had happened many months ago, the woman in question only filed her report three days ago – with Sumitha only finding out about the allegation yesterday when KL police headquarters detained Eslam.
“My client has denied all allegations,” Sumitha told FMT.
“He is under remand and we will wait for police to complete their investigations.”
The 34-year-old Ram, meanwhile, was arrested three days ago based on information provided by the Nepal embassy.
In the one-minute clip which went viral last week, Eslam was repeatedly slapped, punched and hit with a baton by his attacker while being scolded in Malay.
The incident took place at a car park of a condominium at Jalan Madrasah in Wangsa Maju on July 7.