MELAKA: State Islamic Religious Department (Jaim) enforcement officers caught an elderly trader for committing khalwat (close proximity) with a Thai masseuse at a hotel in Melaka City late last night.
This was part of an operation involving 42 religious enforcement officers inspecting 17 hotels across Melaka City and Alor Gajah, based on public information and intelligence, from 12.30am to 4.30am.
State Education and Religious Affairs Committee chairman, Datuk Rahmad Mariman, said the couple, aged 60 and 42 respectively, were among 14 individuals suspected of committing syariah offences detained during the Syariah Crime Prevention Operation in conjunction with the New Year celebrations.
"During an inspection at a hotel room in Melaka City, we detained an elderly man suspected of being in close proximity with a Thai woman who is not a Muslim. The man, originally from Melaka, is a married trader who met his partner, a masseuse working at a massage centre in Melaka City. During questioning, he admitted they went out together to celebrate the New Year and watch the fireworks display before staying at the hotel due to exhaustion and the late hour, making it inconvenient to return home," he said in a statement today.
Rahmad said the detained individuals comprised seven men and six women, aged between 21 and 60, who are being investigated under Section 53 of the Syariah Offences Enactment (Melaka State) 1992 for cohabitation.
Meanwhile, the masseuse, being a non-Muslim, will serve as a witness in the case. The section provides for a maximum fine of RM3,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, upon conviction.