Elderly man drowns after fall from jetty in Puteri Harbour's Emerald Bay

ISKANDAR PUTERI: A 79-year-old man drowned after falling from a jetty into about a metre of water at Puteri Harbour here.

Iskandar Puteri Fire and Rescue Department operations commander Shamsul Khomari Bakar said the department received a distress call at 6.48pm on Monday (Feb 15).

He added that the victim has been identified as Abdul Rahman Abdul Majid and said he was reported missing after a witness found his slippers at the jetty at Jalan Bayu Warisan in Emerald Bay.

“We began a search and rescue operation involving 12 department personnel, five from the Tebrau Fire Station Water Rescue Unit (PPDA), five from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and 21 policemen.

“The PPDA unit dived at the location and conducted a search within a 100m radius of where the victim is believed to have fallen, ” he said in a statement here on Tuesday (Feb 16).

He added that Abdul Rahman's body was found floating at about 12.09am under the jetty.

“The body was then handed over to the police for further action, ” he added.

Iskandar Puteri OCPD Asst Comm Dzulkhairi Mukhtar confirmed that a report on the incident was received.

In an unrelated case, Batu Pahat OCPD Asst Comm Ismail Dollah said 19 people were arrested for violating the movement control order (MCO) at a homestay in Taman Suria.

Those arrested, 11 men and eight women, were aged between 20 and 42.

“They were arrested during a raid at about 11.45pm on Sunday (Feb 14) and investigations revealed that one of the suspects have rented the house for three days to celebrate Chinese New Year with their friends who came from around here, Kluang and Seremban. We also confiscated 104 playing cards and cash worth RM2,612, ” he said.

Those who were arrested were issued an RM1,000 compound each and taken to the Batu Pahat District Police Headquarters for further action.

The case is being investigated under Section 6(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 for gambling which carries a fine of up to RM5,000, a jail term of up to six months, or both upon conviction.

The matter is also being investigated under Section 16(1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act.