Three teenagers believed to be involved in a viral video showing them giving leftovers to a homeless man recently were released on police bail yesterday.
Seremban police chief Hatta Che Din said the boys, aged 14, 18, and 19, allegedly committed the act in areas around the district.
“The teenagers were brought from Johor to be remanded here and for their statement to be taken on Tuesday. They were released on police bail yesterday evening,” he told reporters here today.
Hatta said the case is being investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code, Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
It was reported that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had also recorded statements from the three boys, believed to be social media influencers, in connection with the circulation of the video.
According to MCMC, the individuals were called in for questioning, and further investigations were conducted at the Iskandar Puteri police headquarters in Johor on Aug 5, where three mobile phones and three SIM cards were seized to assist in the probe.
It said the video allegedly contained “excessively obscene” content, which had triggered widespread anger and condemnation from netizens and touched on the sensitivities of Malaysia’s multicultural society.
According to the statement, the case is being investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which provides for a maximum fine of RM500,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, upon conviction.
A Bernama check on TikTok found that several account holders had reposted the nearly two-minute video.
In the video, three local teens were seen eating fried chicken then placing the leftover chicken bones in a rice packet and handing it to a homeless man sleeping on the pavement.
