A couple in their 30s were caught committing khalwat after religious enforcement officers discovered the man hiding inside a concealed underground hole covered with floor tiles at a house in Johor.
The pair had allegedly created the hidden space as a hiding spot to avoid detection by officers from the Johor Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JAINJ).
The discovery was made after officers moved several pieces of furniture, a dish rack and a carpet during a thorough inspection of the house.
They were stunned when they lifted the tiled cover and found a man crouching inside the underground space.
In a statement, JAINJ said the same house had been inspected about two weeks earlier following a similar complaint, but no man was found during that visit.
During the first inspection at about 9.20am, the woman had opened the door and acted as though nothing was amiss, claiming that no man was inside.
“Officers searched the house for about 30 minutes, including its interior spaces, but failed to find the man mentioned in the complaint,” the statement said.
JAINJ added that officers later contacted the complainant, who said they had seen a man entering the house but had not witnessed him leaving.
Officers eventually left without making any arrests, advising the woman against engaging in inappropriate conduct.
Following another complaint, officers asked the complainant to ensure the information provided was accurate to assist the inspection.
The enforcement team arrived at about 8.15pm and found no motorcycles or cars parked around the property. They also checked the rear of the house to prevent anyone from escaping.
After knocking and calling out several times, officers heard what sounded like chairs and tables being moved inside the house.
About a minute later, the woman opened the door and claimed she was alone with her two children, who were in the living room.
Officers searched every room, including under beds, inside wardrobes, behind doors and in the bathrooms, but initially found nobody.
They also inspected the ceiling but ruled out the possibility of someone hiding there because its wooden structure was too small and could bend under a person’s weight.
Undeterred, the officers continued searching by moving chairs and tables and lifting carpets.
“While checking one section of the house, officers moved a dish rack before lifting a carpet and discovering a hole covered with a tiled lid.
“When the cover was removed and the space illuminated with a torch, a man was seen crouching inside,” JAINJ said.
The man and woman were ordered to come out and appeared frightened when confronted by the officers.
Questioning revealed that they were not married and admitted to being in a romantic relationship.
JAINJ said the woman was a divorcee, while the man was single. Both were in their 30s and worked in Kota Tinggi.
The man reportedly lived with his family about 15km from the woman’s house and was believed to have travelled there by motorcycle, which he parked some distance away.
The couple also claimed they intended to get married but were not yet ready to do so.
Both were detained for further action under Section 27 of the Johor Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment.
