KUALA LUMPUR: Police have initiated investigations into the assault on a man who is said to have taken a cup of instant noodles without paying for it at a convenience store in Cheras here.
The assault, captured on two videos and widely shared in the social media yesterday, showed an auxillary policeman berating the man and another individual assaulting him for consuming the cup of instant noodles without paying for it.
The auxillary policeman and the individual are believed to be staff of urban rail services operator Prasarana Malaysia Berhad.
Cheras police chief ACP Muhammad Idzam Jaafar said today that police had received a report on the case and have recorded the statements of three witnesses.
He said early investigations showed that the auxilliary policeman in the video had not roughed up the man.
Muhammad Idzam said the auxilliary policeman had also lodged a police report denying he assaulted the man.
He urged those with information on the case to contact Cheras polis at 03-92845050/5051 or the KL police hotline at 03-2115 9999.
Prasarana in a statement said it is carrying out an internal investigation into the case after the videos went viral in the social media.
“We view seriously allegations of a Prasarana staff being involved in the assault based on the uniform he was using. We believe this happened after the man was caught and accused of taking food without paying for it. However, this goes against the work ethics of Prasarana. In any such situation, if assistance is needed, it should have been sought from the relevant authorities.”
Prasarana apologised over the incident and assured appropriate action will be taken to ensure it does not recur.