KOTA KINABALU: Sweet rendezvous between unmarried couples turned sour when Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jheains) officials knocked on their doors during an operation around budget hotels in Lahad Datu on Friday (Feb 14).
The four couples are all in their 20s and were apprehended between 9.30pm and 3am for close proximity in a crackdown dubbed Ops Valentine.
Jheains personnel along with police conducted the raids in several budget hotels, with Lahad Datu department head Mardi Ariffin saying the operation is to prevent unmarried people from engaging in illicit sexual relations and other related offences.
"We do not want Muslims to get involved in anything that goes against the teachings of Islam, such as anything that is close to or involves illicit sexual relations, whether in private or public," he said.
Apart from arresting the couples, authorities also seized condoms and aphrodisiacs during the raids.
The couples are being investigated for close proximity and if convicted, can be fined up to RM2,000 or jailed for up to a year or both upon sentencing
All suspects are currently being held at the Lahad Datu police station for further action.
