A man with 13 previous offence records has been arrested after allegedly demanding RM200 in “coffee money” from a woman in Kampung Morten, Melaka, in an incident that went viral on social media.
Melaka Tengah district police chief Asst Comm Halim Abas said the local man, believed to be in his 30s, was arrested on Thursday after the victim lodged a police report.
He said checks showed the suspect had one previous criminal record and 12 records related to drug offences.
“Further checks found that the suspect had been arrested several times for drug-related offences and had tested positive in urine tests.
“The suspect has been remanded for three days from Sept 3 to 5 to assist investigations,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
The case came to public attention after a post on Threads alleged that a man had taken the victim’s mobile phone through pickpocketing before pretending to help her find it.
After the phone was found, the man allegedly demanded RM200 as “coffee money” before leaving the scene.
The post subsequently went viral, receiving around 1,800 likes, 181 comments, 916 reposts and 1,400 shares.
Halim said police managed to locate the victim through social media before the local woman, believed to be in her 20s, lodged a police report at around 2.06am on Thursday.
He said the case was being investigated under Section 385 of the Penal Code, which provides for up to seven years’ imprisonment, a fine, whipping, or any two of those punishments upon conviction.
“Police are also obtaining cooperation from residents in Kampung Morten to assist with the investigation,” he said.
Halim said investigations were ongoing, including identifying witnesses and obtaining and reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) recordings from around the scene.
He also urged the public not to speculate, make accusations or circulate unverified information, and to allow the authorities to conduct their investigation.
