KUALA LUMPUR – Police will thoroughly investigate the alleged assault of a disabled e-hailing driver by a VIP’s escort, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said.
“The officers involved in this incident will be called to Bukit Aman to facilitate the investigation.
“This will ensure the investigation is conducted comprehensively and that all parties involved will be able to give their statements,” he said in a statement today.
Razarudin also stressed the police force’s commitment to integrity and defending justice by ensuring the perpetrators would not escape responsibility.
“The priority is to ensure that those responsible do not escape and are held accountable for their actions. Strict action will be taken without compromise against any official found guilty.”
The IGP’s statement today follows one by Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail who urged police to thoroughly investigate the incident at the St Regis Hotel here on May 28.
Tunku Ismail acknowledged the involvement of a member of his escort team, whom he said was from the Royal Malaysia Police.
The crown prince also stressed he did not condone any illegal action or intimidation.
The alleged assault by an escort of “a VIP” was confirmed on Tuesday by Bukit Aman’s criminal investigation department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain.
He said an investigation paper had been opened under Section 323 of the Penal Code on voluntarily causing hurt.
However, Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa later said the victim had lodged a second police report to state that the matter had been settled and that he did not wish to prolong the issue.
The “settlement” of RM800 was revealed by the victim in a press statement issued through the Malaysian Deaf Advocacy and Well-being Organisation.
The 46-year-old victim said he felt “pressured” into dropping his initial police report on the altercation after being told at the Brickfields station of two options – be compensated if he dropped his complaint, or have his phone confiscated and the matter brought to court if he pursued the case.
Following Rusdi’s statement, legal rights group Lawyers for Liberty yesterday said even if the victim had lodged a second police report to state that the matter had been resolved, police had a statutory duty to continue investigating the alleged offence because of its criminal nature. – May 31, 2024