KUALA LUMPUR – The founder of controversial dating site Sugarbook will serve a seven-day remand after the police applied for a review at the Shah Alam High Court today.
The court had yesterday rejected an earlier remand application against the 34-year-old.
Judge Datuk Noordin Badaruddin said the remand order starts from yesterday, when he was rearrested.
The court had initially rejected the remand order after the man pledged to give his full cooperation to facilitate the police probe into the case.
However, he was rearrested yesterday in connection with a rape case and for offering sex services.
Selangor Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Fadzil Ahmad said this followed a police report lodged by a student at a higher learning institute.
He said the alleged incident had taken place in Subang Jaya on February 19, 2019.
“Following this, the suspect was arrested to assist in investigations according to Section 376 of the Penal Code and Section 372 of the same code.”
Sugarbook is being investigated under four laws – Section 505 of the Penal Code (statements conducing to public mischief), Section 372 (1) (d) of the Penal Code (exploiting any person for purposes of prostitution), Section 372B of the Penal Code (soliciting for purposes of prostitution) and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (improper use of network facilities or network services).
The platform specialises in matching “sugar daddies” with “sugar babies” or “sugar mummies”, referring to older and generally well-off men soliciting dates with women, both young and old, through agreements involving gifts or financial transactions.
It was recently reported that Malaysia has the third-highest number of sugar daddies in Asia, behind India and Indonesia, on the app.
The site was blocked by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission following calls to ban it, after its release of a list of the top 10 universities in the country with the most “sugar babies” created uproar.
All internet service providers have been instructed by the regulator to block Sugarbook and its alternative websites. – The Vibes, February 19, 2021
