Penampang Police Chief Supt Sammy Newton
IN A VIRAL social media post making the rounds since Thursday (Dec 7), a woman claimed that her seven-year-old nephew was almost kidnapped at a mall in Sabah's Penampang district on Wednesday (Dec 6).
In the post, she says her sister was shopping with her children when a middle-aged man, accompanied by a blonde woman, suddenly grabbed the boy's hand.
When confronted, the supposed perpetrator claimed that the boy had pulled his hand instead, according to the post.
A police report was also lodged, following which district police conducted an investigation. Did a kidnap attempt really occur?
VERDICT:
FALSE
There was no such attempt made on a child at the mall, says Penampang OCPD Supt Sammy Newton.
However, he confirmed that a police report was lodged claiming that a boy had his arm grabbed by a stranger at the shopping centre.
He said the complainant was shopping with her three children when her son suddenly screamed.
She turned and saw a woman unknown to her standing near the boy.
“After talking to the complainant, we found no criminal elements as claimed by the person who made the social media post,” said Supt Sammy.
“There was no kidnapping attempt... instead, the claim (in the viral posting) contradicted the statement given by the complainant,” he added.
He advised the public to stop sharing the posting to prevent misunderstandings that could disturb the peace.
“Anyone found spreading fake news is liable under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998,” he said.
Supt Sammy said those found guilty faced a maximum RM50,000 fine, up to one year in jail, or both.
