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A 65-YEAR-OLD widower and his 49-year-old partner were among 16 individuals detained in the early hours of Sunday during a Syariah enforcement operation across several hotels in Melaka, carried out by the Melaka Islamic Religious Department (JAIM).
According to Rahmad Mariman, Melaka's Executive Councillor for Higher Education and Religious Affairs, the couple were discovered cohabiting in a hotel room and claimed they had checked in to “rest after a tiring night celebrating Merdeka eve”, adding that they had planned to attend the National Day parade the following morning.
The man, from Segamat, Johor, had travelled to Melaka to visit the woman’s ailing mother. The woman runs a food stall in the state.
“The couple admitted to checking into the hotel for rest after the Merdeka eve festivities and pleaded not to be charged, expressing concern that their adult children would find out,” Rahmad said in a statement on Monday.
The operation, which ran from 12.30am to 5.00am, also saw the detention of a 25-year-old Indonesian man and his 27-year-old girlfriend, both unmarried. The man, employed as a factory operator in Muar, had travelled to Melaka to reunite with his partner, who also works in manufacturing in Batu Berendam.
Rahmad said the man told officers they rarely had the chance to meet due to work schedules and living in different states.
In total, eight couples aged between 25 and 65 were detained, comprising five Malaysian citizens and eleven foreigners. All were investigated under Section 53 of the Melaka Syariah Offences Enactment 1991 for cohabitation without a valid marital relationship (*bersekedudukan tanpa ikatan sah*).
The offence carries a penalty of up to RM3,000, a maximum of two years’ imprisonment, or both, upon conviction. All those detained were released on bail after providing statements.
Rahmad emphasised that JAIM would continue its enforcement activities as part of broader efforts to curb social ills and the rising number of out-of-wedlock pregnancies. “These operations will persist as a preventive measure against immorality and to safeguard societal values,” he said. -Sept 1, 2025