31 nabbed over looting in Taman Sri Muda

KUALA LUMPUR – Some 31 individuals were arrested today in connection with the looting of a string of convenience stores in flood-hit Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam.

Shah Alam police chief Baharudin Mat Taib said in a statement that the suspects involved in the incidents yesterday are all foreigners.

According to Bernama, Baharudin said those detained comprise 10 from Indonesia, seven from Bangladesh, nine Nepal citizens, and five Myanmar nationals.

He said the suspects are being investigated under Section 457 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years, a fine, or both.

“The Shah Alam IPD (district headquarters) has also placed crime prevention elements in all areas affected by flood, and police have urged and advised the public in the affected areas to refrain from taking actions that violate the law.”

Footage of looting in the area was widely shared on social media yesterday, showing desperate flood victims seeking to obtain food and other provisions after having their homes inundated by floodwaters since Friday evening.

Responding to the incidents earlier today, convenience store operator Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin, the managing director of Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd, said he has absolved (halalkan) their actions, although he does not condone the act of stealing.

“Although I do not support the act of stealing, in an emergency, maybe they have no other choice.

“Therefore, I sincerely ‘halalkan’ those who committed these acts purely for survival due to slow response on assistance, and not with bad intentions.

“If they were looting to sell those items to get money in return to buy food, that is okay. I ‘halalkan’,” he said.

The Malaysia Retailers Association vice-president said losses suffered from the looting incident and damage from the floods amount to RM3 million.

“Damage to the store due to floods alone in that one particular outlet is approximately RM2 million to RM3 million.

“From the looting incident, they took away some expensive things like watches and electrical items. My team said it comes up to about RM300,000.” – The Vibes, December 21, 2021