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A grocery run allegedly turned into a humiliating ordeal for a local couple
A Malaysian man has lodged a police report after claiming his 38-week pregnant wife was accused of shoplifting during a grocery trip at Lotus's Selayang, Selangor, and asked to prove she wasn't hiding stolen goods under her shirt.
The incident came to public attention after the man, who goes by @fareezshah10 on Threads, shared a detailed account on Sunday, 12 July.
His posts have since gone viral, drawing widespread criticism online.
According to Fareez, the incident happened after they had paid for their groceries and were about to leave the supermarket.
He claimed a male staff member stopped them outside the cashier area before asking his wife, "Akak simpan barang apa tu dalam perut?" (What are you hiding in your stomach?).
He alleged that the staff further asked his wife to show her Buku Pink, Malaysia's maternity health record booklet, as proof of her pregnancy, and to expose her stomach to prove she wasn't concealing stolen merchandise beneath her clothes.
Fareez said he immediately questioned the allegation and asked what his wife had supposedly stolen and whether anyone had actually seen her taking anything.
According to the husband, they were detained by the Lotus's Malaysia staff for nearly 20 minutes with no evidence of theft
Fareez said he demanded that the staff produce evidence, identify the witness who had seen the alleged theft, and call for a supervisor.
He claimed they were then made to wait for almost 20 minutes while staff attempted to contact a supervisor, with other shoppers watching.
"My wife was already exhausted from carrying our baby, and now she had to endure public embarrassment on top of that," he said.
When the supervisor eventually arrived, Fareez said he insisted the cashier explain herself.
According to him, the cashier admitted she had never actually seen his wife take anything.
Instead, Fareez alleged she said she became suspicious because his wife's stomach "didn't look like a pregnant belly" and appeared as though someone was hiding merchandise.
He said both the cashier and the male staff member eventually apologised, although he claimed the latter only did so after he confronted him.
Fareez stressed that the issue was never just about the apology, but about the humiliation his wife endured while heavily pregnant with their first child.
"No pregnant woman deserves to go through this. No customer should be publicly accused without evidence," he wrote.
He also argued that if staff genuinely suspected theft, they should have followed proper procedures instead of making assumptions or asking a pregnant woman to expose her stomach or produce medical documents.
Lotus's Malaysia has since confirmed that it is conducting a thorough investigation into the matter
Responding publicly on Threads, Lotus's Malaysia apologised for the distress caused and said it had escalated the matter to its management team for an urgent and thorough investigation.
The supermarket chain also invited Fareez to get in touch directly so it could better understand what happened and work towards an appropriate resolution.
In a separate statement to Harian Metro, Lotus's Malaysia said it was aware of the viral incident and was carrying out a comprehensive investigation to establish the full circumstances.
The company said it had also contacted the customer involved to better understand the experience they went through, but added that it would be inappropriate to comment further while the investigation remains ongoing.
Meanwhile, Fareez has now lodged a police report, saying "this is only the beginning"
Fareez shared another update on Threads confirming that he had lodged a police report over the incident.
Describing it as the "first step", he said what happened to his wife was not something he could ignore, adding that he believed in due process and accountability.
He also thanked Malaysians for the overwhelming support the couple had received online, saying he hoped no other pregnant woman or family would have to experience the same treatment.
Fareez added that he was not asking the public to hate or punish anyone, but wanted the matter addressed through the proper channels until justice was served.
View on Threads
SAYS has also reached out to Lotus's Malaysia for comment. At the time of publication, no response had been received.
