A 24-year-old man who wore a mermaid costume while promoting a drinks stall in Pengkalan Chepa has been detained by the Kelantan Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jaheaik).
Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Mohamed Fadzli Hassan said the man was arrested at his home in Kampung Chetok, Pasir Mas, before being released on bail after providing his statement. He is being investigated under Sections 19 and 20 of the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment (I) 2019 for allegedly dressing as a woman and committing an indecent act.
According to Mohamed Fadzli, the man claimed he was paid RM200 by the drinks stall owner to produce a promotional video for the business. He is required to report back to Jaheaik on June 8 for further action.
Investigations revealed that the video, showing the man in a mermaid outfit promoting “air balang”, was believed to have been recorded a day before Ramadan and later uploaded to social media on the first day of the fasting month. The clip subsequently went viral, drawing public attention.
Previously, Kosmo! reported that Jaheaik would summon the individual involved, with the matter handled by its enforcement division.
Meanwhile, State Local Government, Housing, Health and Environment Committee chairman Hilmi Abdullah said the local authority has revoked the stall’s sales permit and issued a compound to the owner on February 22.
