MELAKA: Media reports that a man jailed and fined two days ago for stealing Milo from an Ayer Keroh supermarket did so to cover his mother’s dialysis treatment costs are not true, says the Melaka Islamic Religious Council (MAIM).
Its deputy chairman Datuk Rahmad Mariman said the Merlimau branch zakat distribution squad visited the mother's home in Kampung Berangan Enam and found that the elderly woman, who has a urinary disease, does not need dialysis treatment.
He said MAIM records showed that the man received emergency assistance from the zakat office counter in 2022.
For his mother to be eligible for dialysis assistance, she must meet criteria such as being a MAIM recipient, not receiving aid from the Public Service Department or Social Security Organisation, and having an income below the kifayah limit.
"In addition, the claim that a woman also jailed and fined (for the same offence) is the man’s wife is untrue.
"They are not married. The woman is still legally married to someone else and is alleged to have left her home to be with this man.
"Further investigation found that the woman’s legal husband has been an active recipient of MAIM assistance, receiving a one-off emergency food aid, as well as monthly food assistance and school aid totalling RM940 since 2018,” Rahmad said in a statement on Friday (Aug 30).
He advised the public to verify any information received before sharing it to prevent any confusion about the zakat distribution process.
The media previously reported that a husband and wife were sentenced to 28 days in prison and fined RM3,000 by a Magistrate's Court here after being found guilty of stealing 19 packs of Milo from a supermarket in Ayer Keroh last month.
Magistrate Khairunnisak Hassni imposed the sentence on Mohamad Nor Azam Bakar, 34, and Noor Azura Rosslan, 38, after they pleaded guilty to the charge.
Lawyer Nigel Tai, representing the accused, pleaded for a lighter sentence, saying that the offence was committed in an attempt to cover the dialysis treatment costs for Mohamad Nor Azam’s mother.
Reports about the case captured the attention of netizens, who questioned MAIM’s role in assisting the needy, and some parties even offered to pay the couple’s fine out of sympathy. – Bernama
