Group meets up in pub, gets arrested

They claimed that they did not know pubs still cannot resume operations and that gatherings in pubs were still not allowed, but these excuses did not prevent 29 people from being arrested in a raid here last night.

Ipoh District Police Chief ACP A.Asmadi Abdul Aziz said the raid by the Anti-Vice, Gambling and Secret Societies Division (D7) was conducted at 9.30 p.m. in the premises in Jalan Lau Ek Ching here.

He said when the police arrived at the pub, they found the door locked and after knocking several times, a man, 29, opened it and said he was the caretaker.

A.Asmadi said further checks found 25 men and three women, aged between 18 and 35 years, who were all suspected to be patrons of the pub, enjoying their alcoholic drinks.

"They gave unreasonable excuses for being there. Initial investigations found that they said they did not know that pubs were not allowed to resume operations and they cannot gather in them," he said when contacted here today.

Meanwhile, police detained four men who were downing alcoholic drinks at an entertainment centre in Jalan Canning Estate here last night.

A.Asmadi said in the raid conducted by the Perak Contingent Police Headquarters Crime Investigation Department at 11.30 p.m., one of the men was the 44-year-old supervisor of the centre.

He said when police arrived, the man opened the door of the premises and said he was the supervisor and caretaker of the centre.

"Further checks found three men suspected to be clients, aged 29, 30 and 51 years, on the first floor of the centre. The four men gave an unacceptable excuse that they had gone there to enjoy a few drinks," he said.

Asmadi said police will obtain a remand order today and the case was being investigated under Section 269 of the Penal Code and the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988.

-- BERNAMA