An Ice Cream Seller Was Beaten Up By People For Allegedly Molesting A Girl In Penang
The suspect, in pain, could be heard crying and begging for mercy.
By Sadho Ram — 18 Oct 2020, 11:32 AM
In an incident that happened on Friday, 16 October, an ice cream seller was caught and thrashed by a group of residents in Taman Seri Indah, Kepala Batas, for allegedly attempting to molest a 14-year-old girl
The ice cream seller was caught by the residents a day later the alleged act was committed on Thursday, 15 October, according to Seberang Prai Utara district police chief ACP Noorzainy Mohd Noor.
In a statement yesterday, 17 October, ACP Noorzainy said that the suspect, who is a 25-year-old Pakistani national, was caught by the victim's father and their neighbours at about 4.30pm.
Once caught, they made a video of him, in which the suspect was seen being repeatedly kicked and hit with a baton by an unknown individual. The video has since gone viral on social media.
In the video, the individual is heard accusing the suspect of disturbing girls while he sells ice cream. He then goes on to hit the suspect with the baton before kicking him in the head and face.
The suspect, in pain, could be heard crying and begging for mercy.
After neighbours are heard intervening, the 25-year-old suspect then handed over to police personnel. He was found with injuries to his mouth, according to a report in New Straits Times.
What happened?
On Thursday, when the 14-year-old victim and her six-year-old sibling left their house to buy ice cream from the suspect, who arrived on a motorcycle, he allegedly tried to molest her.
ACP Noorzainy, who narrated the alleged incident in his statement yesterday, said that the victim was peering into the ice cream box when the suspect suddenly placed his hand on her shoulder.
Shocked by the inappropriate touch, the victim moved back.
"The suspect then handed over the ice cream to the victim, and when she wanted to pay him, the suspect held her hand and tried to kiss it. The victim (and her sibling) quickly ran back into their house," he said, adding that she locked the front gate of the house, as she feared for her safety.
The suspect, however, stayed in front of the victim's house and started showing her money.
"The victim saw the suspect dangling some (ringgit) notes while calling out to her to come over to him. Scared, the victim immediately called her mother on the phone and related the incident to her," he said.
After he was handed over to police, the 25-year-old suspect, who suffered injuries, was sent to the Kepala Batas Hospital for treatment
The suspect reportedly does not possess valid travel documents.
ACP Noorzainy said the Pakistani national will be investigated under Section 14 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959.
