An unmarried couple in Johor were busted by religious officers for alleged ‘khalwat’ (close proximity), which is an offense in Malaysia.
They were caught during a raid carried out at a shophouse in Skudai on Monday (Feb 23) following a public complaint, reported Harian Metro.
Greeted officers while clad in female pyjamas
The Malay daily reported that officers from the Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) came knocking on the couple’s room door at around 11am.
When the door was finally opened, they were met by a man who was wearing women’s sleepwear.
At first, the officers thought it was a woman, but later realised he was a man based on his name, voice, and hair.
They also noticed that the room was dark even though it was daytime outside.
Upon switching on the light, officers found a woman standing behind the door while also wearing sleepwear.
When questioned, the man told JAINJ officers that he was wearing women’s sleepwear as it found it “more comfortable” and that he had merely borrowed it from the woman.
‘We didn’t do anything!’
The couple, both in their 20s and working in the district, later confessed that they weren’t married to each other.
However, they claimed to not have done anything in the room as they were merely fasting during the Ramadan month.
The officers rummaged through the closet and found men and women’s clothing being mixed together, leading to the couple admitting that they were cohabitating for a month.
The couple were later arrested under Section 27 of the Johor State Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1997 for ‘khalwat’, which carries a maximum fine of RM3,000, up to two years’ jail, or both, if found guilty.
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