Local singer Ara Johari, 26, advises women to be more vigilant in public spaces. Photo: Ara Johari/Instagram
Malaysian singer Ara Johari recently opened up about a traumatic incident that occurred after she performed at a concert in Dataran Nilai, Negeri Sembilan on Sunday (June 24).
According to mStar, The Star's Malay language news portal, an unknown man walked up to Ara while she was resting backstage and asked for a selfie to which she agreed.
The 26-year-old claimed that after taking the photo, the man didn't leave but held out his hand to her instead.
"I thought he wanted a fist bump, so I decided to reciprocate, but he suddenly grabbed my hand and kissed it hard.
"I tried pulling my hand away but I couldn't as he was grabbing onto it so tightly," Ara wrote in an Instagram Story.
In her post, the Anugerah Juara Lagu 33 (AJL33) runner-up said that this startled her so badly she began to scream.
The suspect then tried to flee but was eventually caught by the organisers and handed over to policemen on duty.
According to mStar, Ara lodged a report against the male suspect at the Nilai Police Station at around midnight.
There, the singer reportedly asked the help of a policeman to delete her photos from the suspect's mobile phone.
"(In his phone), we found a lot of photos he had taken of other artistes. All of them were women," Ara said.
According to Nilai district police chief Superintendent Abdul Malik Hasim, the suspect has been remanded till June 28.
The case, he said, is being probed under Section 354 of the Penal Code.
Offenders can be jailed up to 10 years or fined or whipped or given any of the two punishments upon conviction.
Hoping to prevent other women from falling victim to sexual harassment, Ara advises everyone to be more vigilant in public spaces.
She also called for people to be more respectful when interacting with their favourites celebrities and to not cross the line as a fan.
