KOTA KINABALU: Police are investigating ten individuals over claims that a viral video of a robbery had been filmed in Sabah's Tawau district.
The incident actually happened in Perak, where two individuals armed with machetes tried to rob a group of people at a house.
Tawau OCPD Asst Comm Jasmin Hussin confirmed that the incident, seen in CCTV footage spread on social media, did not take place in Tawau district.
"It is not true and has caused alarm in the local community," he said.
He said police have opened investigations and have called in eight men and two women aged between 20 and 69 years old for their statements to be recorded under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
"The video from the CCTV recording was uploaded on Facebook using the 'TAWAUKINI' account with the caption 'Taman Berjaya Tawau, 10 cases like this in one month, be careful all of us'.
"Our investigation showed that the incident did not happen in Tawau but in Ayer Tawar, Perak on May 20 at 9.34pm and it was investigated for robbery under Section 394 of the Penal Code," he told a press conference Wednesday (May 29).
ACP Jasmin said that the spread of false statements along with the video has caused alarm and panic among the public.
He said the investigation was conducted under Section 505 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Act 1988.
Those found guilty under Section 505 of the Penal Code can face up to two years in prison and fined or both.
"I remind the community not to make statements on social media without checking the validity of the news, it is necessary to always check from official or reliable sources," he said.
