KUALA LUMPUR – A foreign security guard who claimed to have seen a tiger in Kemensah Heights recently has been detained by police, for not having valid travel documents.
The 51-year-old guard was arrested at 7pm yesterday in Jalan Tropika Kemensah 3, when police made their rounds after reports of a purported tiger sighting in the area, said Ampang Jaya OCPD Mohamad Farouk Eshak.
A police report was also lodged at 12.43pm today by a 52-year-old local man over a viral WhatsApp message warning residents of a “tiger threat” and to exercise caution.
In the report, the man claimed that the information given in the message was false as there is no indication of the tiger and he feared it could lead to a panic among residents.
The case is currently being investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA), said Farouk.
Hoax, not threat, say residents
For resident How Sein Chong, 71, who stays in Prima Ukay, simply laughed off the tiger sighting when asked by The Vibes.
“A tiger here? I don’t think so. If it were wild boars, that’s more believable because they are often seen in these parts.
“I am not sure how or what he saw but I don’t think it’s a tiger.”
He explained that he had read several WhatsApp messages sent by other residents on the supposed sighting, but many doubt its credibility.
Another local resident, Nazmi Ramzan, 32, said in jest that the guard could have just made up a story to skip work.
“I have never heard of tiger sightings here in Selangor. I don’t even think it’s possible for tigers to just simply escape from the zoo.
“Could be the guard was making up stories to skip work or possibly he was just seeing things.”
Nazmi, who is also a security guard working in the area, said only wild boars are sighted in the area.
“There were also cases of deer sightings some time back but those belong to the zoo.”
Another local resident of Jalan Tropika Kemensah 3 who does not wish to be named also brushes off the tiger sighting.
“I would like to know where this ‘tiger’ is. Since the news broke, we cannot even find the guard, perhaps he was taken by the tiger too,” he said laughingly. – The Vibes, May 21, 2022
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