KUCHING: The main suspect in a viral video which showed a man assaulting the manager of a fast-food outlet in the city last month has been arrested by police.
Announcing the arrest, district police chief ACP RoslanBek Ahmad said the 41-year-old jobless man was picked up at a mall in Siburan around 5pm on Thursday following a tip-off.
“We have the main suspect and will apply for a remand order against him for investigation under section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation.
“We are now tracking down five of his friends featured in the video, and I urge anyone who know of their whereabouts to contact us,” he said during a press conference yesterday.
The incident at the fast-food outlet, which occurred on March 24 around 2.30am, was captured on closed-circuit television and went viral after being uploaded on social media.
The main suspect was said to have thrown a fit over two cups of hot beverage which he had ordered but failed to receive.
After banging on the counter top and shouting at the staff, he went outside and summoned a group of his friends before re-entering the premises and jumping over the counter to assault the female manager by pulling her hair.
“In fact, I hope the five men involved in the incident that day surrender themselves before we go after them so that we can complete our investigation as soon as possible,” said Roslan.
On a separate matter, the district police chief expressed his dismay that cyber gambling is re-emerging after a brief period of inactivity following a nationwide crackdown.
He said in March and the first two weeks of this month, his men raided 17 cyber gambling premises, making 17 arrests and seizing a total of 269 computers and RM2,317 in cash.
“We are also conducting joint operations with other agencies to disconnect the supply of electricity and water to the raided premises to ensure operators are not able to resume their illegal activity at the same location.”
He implored the public to provide information on the exact location of any cyber gambling premises to the police for immediate action, particularly if they know of any family member who patronises such places.
“If your husband or wife, your brother or sister, or your son or daughter, is wasting their time and money at these places, let us know and give us the location of the outlet they go to and we will raid.”
On the city’s crime index, Roslan said he was pleased to announce that up till yesterday, it was down 16.95 percent compared to the same period last year.
He said one of the factors for the decline was the increased cooperation from the public in working with the police, citing the setting-up of groups such as Community Policing as an example of commitment by the public in tackling crimes.