POLICE have arrested a man after he surrendered himself following the circulation of a video showing him repeatedly beating a kitten with an aluminium broom at a residential area in Bandar Tasik Idaman in Batu Gajah.
Batu Gajah district police chief Assistant Commissioner Md Noor Aehawan Mohammad said the man turned himself in at the Batu Gajah District Police Headquarters after police received information about the incident around noon yesterday.
He said preliminary investigations found that the suspect admitted to beating the kitten with the aluminium broom.
Md Noor Aehawan said the suspect claimed he acted after the kitten entered the engine compartment beneath the bonnet of his vehicle, which was parked at his residence.
"The suspect acted in such a manner because he was concerned that the kitten could be injured and that it could damage his vehicle if the engine was started or the vehicle was driven," he said in a statement today.
The kitten survived the attack and was subsequently taken by a neighbour to a veterinary clinic for treatment.
Md Noor Aehawan said a veterinary report would be obtained to assist investigations, which are being conducted under Section 428 of the Penal Code and Section 29(1)(a) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 for cruelty to an animal.
The incident sparked widespread condemnation on social media, with members of the public calling for action against the suspect.
Some members of the public also called for his employer to act after the video appeared to show the suspect wearing his workplace attire when the incident took place. - August 20, 2026
