Not too long ago, the Petaling Jaya City Council caught the ire of local netizens over social media, after it was alleged that one of their officers tasked under the vector control unit had allegedly assaulted an elderly man during a dog-catching operation. Netizen Rekha Morgan was the first to shed light on the matter via Facebook, after she bore witness to the entire incident while driving back home.
69yo uncle injured while protecting his dogs during dog-catching operation
At the time, 69-year-old Mr Patrick Khoo said that he had heard the dogs that were guarding his factory barking. It was at that moment when he noticed a group of men wearing high-visibility uniforms in a truck, who eventually went up to try and capture his dogs. Hoping to defend them and stop the dogs from being taken away, Khoo wound up being assaulted in the process and sustained injuries to his cheek, jaw, and wrist.
Following the incident, he proceeded to lodge a police report and claims that when the incident took place, none of the officers showed proof of identification, nor a warrant to seize his dogs. In speaking with NST, Khoo claims that three dogs, one of which was only a puppy, were seized by the officials.
To be charged for obstructing civil servant
But now, it is said that Khoo himself will be charged tomorrow (March 31st, 2023) at the magistrate’s court under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public servant in the discharge of his or her public functions.
According to local daily Sinar Harian, the matter was confirmed by Petaling Jaya district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid in a statement issued yesterday (March 29th, 2023).
“We have received orders to arrest the accused man under Section 186 of the Penal Code for the offence of stopping public servants from carrying out their duties,” he said.
Fakhrudin claims that the senior citizen had not cooperated with the enforcement officers during the operation, which led to a physical altercation to break out between him and one of the officers involved.
Separately, Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung has called for the MBPJ to conduct a thorough investigation and provide an explanation as to the officer’s actions during the dog-catching operation.
According to veteran journalist Hadi Azmi, the implicated MBPJ officer on the other hand is not facing any legal action.
The 69 year old PJ uncle who was injured in a scuffle with MBPJ dog catchers last week will be charged at the PJ magistrate court on Friday for obstructing a public officer.
The MBPJ officer meanwhile is facing no legal action. pic.twitter.com/7B6DTDWy4G
— Hadi Azmi (@amerhadiazmi) March 29, 2023
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