BY Jin Chia

KUALA LUMPUR, JULY 13: The police today assured that the Golden Triangle area of Kuala Lumpur remains safe to visit for Malaysians and tourists alike in the aftermath of a late-night fracas in the popular tourist area.

KL police chief Tajudin Md Isa

KL Police Chief Tajudin Mohd Isa in a press conference said “more than enough” police personnel had been deployed to monitor Plaza Low Yat area to ensure public safety, following a scuffle where a mob had protested outside the shopping mall yesterday, resulting in four arrests and five injuries.

To expedite the investigation process, several suspects  had been taken into custody for further questioning, said Tajudin.

However, Tajudin urged the public to stop hopping on to the social media bandwagon that aims to exaggerate the entire incident.

“It is merely a theft case and thanks to the ungoverned circulation within social media, labels such as racial discrimination have been tagged along,” he said.

“The rakyat should stop believing blindly whatever is being posted on social media, and wait for the completion of the investigation,” added Tajudin.

The trouble started when a customer, who was accused of stealing a smartphone, was apprehended by several salespersons when he tried to escape on Saturday. The man then returned with six people and created a ruckus, damaging the shop.

Late last night, a mob of some 200 had gathered outside the mall, where they allegedly tried to enter the shop forcibly. Police managed to disperse the crowd a few hours later.

The incident was tinged with a racial slant as several blogs and social media posts alleged that the fight happened because the customer, who is Malay, was sold a fake phone by a salesperson, who is Chinese.

Howeverm, Tajudin also said there was no evidence as yet that the customer had been cheated, and several suspects had been apprehended to investigate the theft case.

He adde that more people will be called in for further investigation and if they are proven guilty, they might face legal penalty for their behaviour.

– The Rocket