Teen detained for dressing as 'hantu pocong' to scare children

ALOR SETAR: In search of thrills, a group of youths in Bukit Pinang here decided to dress up one of their gang as a "hantu pocong" (shrouded ghost) to scare young kids returning from religious classes.

The boys got their blankets out, wrapped one of the teens in them, and set out on two motorbikes to frighten the kids and their friends.

The four, however, were the ones scared when they bumped into a policeman who, needless to say, was shocked to see a "hantu pocong" riding pillion on a motorbike.

The group, ghost included, detained by police and taken first to the Kepala Batas police station and then to the Kota Setar district police headquarters.

A 30-second video of the "ghost" riding pillion on a motorbike went viral on Facebook last Saturday (Jan 20). The video shows said "ghost" hopping around.

According to the youth, he and his three friends just wanted to tease the children returning home from Quran reading classes as well as their friends who were still hanging out in Taman Pinang Jaya here.

He said that barely 15 minutes after he and his friends set out on their bikes, they bumped into a policeman on his motorbike.

"I was the 'ghost' and was told to hop around like one while many people stopped to watch," he told reporters when met at his uncle's house in Kampung Padang Kunyit, Bukit Pinang.

"We were told by the police not to do this again as it could cause accidents and people could be scared and suffer heart attacks," he said, adding that he regretted his action and promised never to repeat it.

Kota Setar district police chief ACP Mohd Rozi Jidin said investigations found it to be a mischievous act by a group of teenagers and that there was no criminal intent. - Bernama