KUCHING: A teenage girl’s account of being allegedly sexually harassed by an e-hailing driver while on her way home on Tuesday night, has drawn widespread attention and condemnation from netizens.
The incident was shared through two video clips uploaded to Facebook, which have since gone viral, amassing hundreds of thousands of views.
In the first clip, the 15-year-old victim asked the driver repeat his alleged inappropriate question — he had asked her to remove her headscarf during the ride.
The victim firmly refused and responded, “Aurat cik, sik boleh” (this is my modesty (that I must guard), I cannot do that).
In the second clip, it showed the victim’s family confronting the driver. He appeared to deny the alleged harassment, but the victim’s father insisted that they proceed to the police station to lodge a report.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata confirmed that they have received a report from the victim regarding the alleged incident, which occurred while the teenage girl was in a car along Jalan Camar.
“The case is being investigated under Section 298 of the Penal Code for uttering words with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of a person, and Section 509 of the Penal Code for using words intended to insult the modesty of a teenage girl.
“If convicted, the penalty provides for up to five years imprisonment, a fine or both,” he said when contacted.
Anyone with information regarding the incident, is urged to contact the investigating officer ASP Tan Kian Kok at 010-5661576 or the Kuching police operations centre at 082-24444.
Mancha strongly advised the public against speculating or spreading unverified information related to the case.