Police arrested a man within more than three hours after he was reported to have kicked and damaged cars parked along a roadside in Ipoh, a case that sparked widespread discussion on social media.
Ipoh district police chief ACP Abang Zainal Abidin said the suspect is a 38-year-old unemployed Indian Muslim man from Kuala Lumpur. He has a criminal record involving 10 criminal cases and five drug-related cases, and is also a wanted person under Section 15(4) of the Prevention of Crime (Amendment and Extension) Act 2015 (POCA).
Police received a report at 10.35am yesterday from a 33-year-old Chinese woman working as a sales assistant. She said she had parked her car along Padang Road at about 9.15am when she heard a loud noise.
When she went to check, she saw a shirtless unknown man, believed to be mentally unstable, kicking her car twice. The victim later found a dent on the left rear passenger door, with damage estimated at about RM500.
Police investigations found that the car owner did not know the suspect and had purchased the vehicle three years ago. As the victim was inside the car at the time, she witnessed the entire incident.
The suspect was arrested at about 2pm in front of the Big Ben Food Centre. A urine test showed he was positive for methamphetamine.
Police are investigating the case under Section 427 of the Penal Code for mischief.
In response to online claims that the suspect had also attempted theft and damaged shop premises earlier the same day, Abang Zainal said police had not received any reports regarding those incidents.
The case drew significant attention on social media, with some users claiming they had encountered the same suspect previously. The original poster later said police informed her that the suspect had earlier been sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment and was discharged after his condition stabilised.
