Residents’ concerns over a man seen wandering around Taman Pekan Baru while allegedly carrying an object believed to be a machete came to an end after police arrested him on Wednesday night.
The 44-year-old suspect was detained near a nasi kandar restaurant at about 11pm after a video of the incident went viral on social media.
In the video, the man was seen approaching a car, reportedly asking the driver for money before shouting after his request was ignored.
Kuala Muda district police chief Assistant Commissioner Hanyan Ramlan said police tracked down the suspect after the video sparked concern among residents.
“The suspect is homeless and has no record of mental health problems. No weapon was found on him during the arrest,” he said here today.
Hanyan said police had yet to receive any official reports from members of the public regarding the incident.
He urged anyone who had allegedly been disturbed, threatened or approached by the suspect to lodge a police report to assist investigations.
He also advised the public not to limit their response to sharing incidents on social media, stressing that official reports were necessary for police to take action under the law.
Checks found that the suspect has two previous drug-related records. Police are investigating the case under Section 506 of the Penal Code, Section 6(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958, and Section 15(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
