Low Yat brawl: Suspect to be charged today

The suspect who was arrested for allegedly stealing a handphone at Plaza Low Yat on Saturday will be charged at the Jalan Duta Court today.

The 22-year-old suspect is expected to be charged at 11am today under Section 380 of the Penal Code for theft.

If convicted he can be jailed for a maximum of 10 years or fined or both.

The suspect has been remanded since Saturday.

Apart from the suspect, 18 others are still under remand over the brawl and ruckus. All the individuals detained are men aged between 16 and 26. It is understood that a remand order has been issued for four days beginning Monday.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar had earlier confirmed the brawl on Saturday stemmed from a mobile phone theft incident and not a cheating incident by a mobile phone trader.

Several men then collaborated with the suspect and fabricated a story that they had been cheated.

The story then made its way on social media leading some 200 people to a protest last night, which then turned violent.

“In this case, there was no incident of cheating by the trader, only a case of two men stealing a mobile phone,” Khalid to reporters after visiting Low Yat Plaza to monitor the situation there, Monday.