Vehicle theft is always a dramatic event, especially when people take to the streets to try to stop what they think is a stolen vehicle on the run.
As such, videos claiming to show something like this happening tend to go viral as soon as they are uploaded online.
A video like this went viral recently along with the claim that the group of motorcyclists seen chasing a funeral van were trying to stop a stolen vehicle used in a house break-in that happened in Kajang.
Is this true?
VERDICT:
FALSE
In a statement, Kajang OCPD Asst Comm Naazron Abdul Yusof said that the funeral van seen in the 23-second TikTok video uploaded on Sunday (Aug 4) was not a stolen vehicle.
He also denied the claim in the video's caption that the van driver was involved in a house break-in in Kajang.
"We received a report at 3.58pm on Sunday from a 35-year-old man. He was the funeral van driver, and he said that he that he went to a residential area in Kajang to send the van to a mechanic," said ACP Naazron in a statement on Monday (Aug 5).
He added that the driver got lost and had to drive slowly, and said that this caused a misunderstanding with a group of bikers.
"The bikers accused the driver of driving a stolen vehicle and believed that he was involved in breaking into a house in the area.
"The group of bikers, who were armed with wooden sticks and steel rods, chased after the van and attempted to attack the driver. However, he managed to escape," he said.
ACP Naazron said checks revealed that there were no reports of a house-break in or stolen funeral van.
"In fact, a 45-year-old mosque official even confirmed that the funeral van was handed over to the driver (so that he could send it for repairs)," he added.
He said the case is being investigated under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation and Section 233 of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission Act 1998.
"We advise the public not to speculate or issue false statements on social media platforms as it could cause confusion and disrupt public order. We will take stern action against those who spread false information and fake news," he said.
