The Malaysian Insight

POLICE arrested three youths, 24 hours after a businesswoman uploaded a video on Facebook complaining of harassment on the road and the treatment she received from the cops when she went to seek help at the Alam Damai station in Cheras.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Commissioner Mazlan Lazim said the three youths were under investigation for criminal intimidation.

“We detained them today (Tuesday) at 8pm. They are SPM school leavers. One of them was driving his parents’ car, a BMW when the incident happened,” said Mazlan.

He said a probe would also be initiated into the businesswoman’s complaint that she was mistreated by the police attending to her at the sentry post and at the inquiry desk.

In the video, which has gone viral since it was posted on Monday, Kogee Sinniah, 41, said the policeman at the sentry post was “checking out” her legs instead of helping her.

The video has been viewed 37,000 times and received more than 300 comments.

Kogee was driving with her 13-year-old son in the car on Persiaran Alam Damai, which was under construction, when she swerved onto the path of a BMW car, which began tailing her. 

She said there was three people in the vehicle.

She panicked and made several calls to 999 as she drove to the Alam Damai police station to seek help.

At a traffic stop just metres from the police station, the BMW allegedly overtook and stopped in front of her car, blocking her way. 

“This was when I honked continuously for about two or three minutes, calling out for help, but nobody came,” she said in the video.

After a while, the BMW drove off and she proceeded to the police station, where she found the entry blocked by a traffic cone.

“A policeman from the post came over and the first thing he asked me was: ‘Were you the one honking just now?’.

“So what does this mean? He actually heard someone in distress but not one of them came to check what was happening. The driver of the BMW could have had a weapon.”

Mazlan said the police sentry at the gate who peered at her was only doing his job as it was standard operating procedure to inspect those seeking entry into the police station compound, especially at night, to guard against threats such as terrorism.

“The policeman had also questioned the driver of the BMW who said they were upset because she had almost hit them. The policeman advised them to not do anything against the law and told them to lodge a police report if they were unhappy. The driver and his friends drove off (after that),” said Mazlan.

Mazlan said the policeman at the inquiry desk had also approached Kogee and asked if she wanted to lodge a report.

“But she sat in the car for a good 20 minutes making calls. She was right at the front entrance of the police station. She was safe.

“There could have been some misunderstanding when the policeman told her to talk to him nicely as she was upset and terrified, and the policeman could not understand what she was saying.

“I want to be fair to the complainant and also to my men,” Mazlan said, adding that Kogee lodged a report at the Cheras police station yesterday afternoon. – March 14, 2018.