Unruly youths invade Little India

Several business operators in Little India claim that the youths get drunk and harass their customers.

KUALA LUMPUR: Businessmen in Little India, Brickfields, hoping to cash in on the Deepavali festival are faced with a problem – unruly youths who are scaring away their customers.

Several businessmen said that the problem happens on an annual basis, when youths gather at the stalls rented by their friends in the late evenings.

“They get drunk and start behaving badly around our business premises,” said P Loga, who owns Saradha Silk, a saree shop.

On top of that, he claimed, the youths also harass his customers, especially girls, who patronise his shop.

“They come and complain to us but what can we do? Due to the harassment, many are not coming to my shop anymore, and this is affecting my business,” he told FMT.

Loga hoped that the police would beef up security in the area before Deepavali eve (Oct 25), when most people indulge in last-minute shopping.

“I have highlighted the matter to the Brickfields Business Council Association (BBCA) for further action,” he said.

Echoing Loga’s sentiments, florist J Annadurai said the youths also disturbed the peace in the area by playing loud music and reving their motorcycle engines.

“And they start their activity after 9pm all the way till the wee hours in the morning. They are entertaining themselves at the expense of our business,” he added.

Mobile phone shop owner P Ashok Kumar said the youths often parked indiscriminately along the roadside, causing traffic congestion.

“They don’t even fear the police as they rev their motorcycles in their presence,” he complained, adding that the youths littered the area, causing rubbish to pile up at their business premises.

Police: Lodge a report

BBCA secretary A Karuppiah said he had received numerous complaints from business owners there.

He added that the main culprit was a group of 30 youths, aged between 15 and 25.

“I suspect they are not from our area. As most people come here after work, a lot of shops here extend their operating hours to midnight to accommodate them. But due to this youths, their business are suffering heavy losses,” he said.

He also said that the boys congregated at unlicensed stalls and the BBCA had sent countless reminders to them to get their stalls registered with the council.

“While some of the stall owners will just delay, others claim they have the backing of a senior police officer from Brickfields,” he alleged.

Queried on whether a police report was lodged, Karuppiah said the council would lodge one soon.

He added that although the police increased patrol in the area, the youths would normally disappear when the police were around and re-appear about an hour later.

“Just day before yesterday, the boys got involved in a brawl among themselves,” he said.

Brickfields district police chief Wan Bari Abdul Wan Khalid said there was nothing the police could do if the traders only reported their grouses to the media.

“Is it wrong for someone to get drunk? That is his fundamental right but if he causes public nuisance, we can book them for it but that is a minor offence,” he added.

He said that the traders and shop owners in Brickfields could always lodge a report with the police whenever they find the youths behaving unruly.

“We even have a mobile police station there. But we can only book the youths if they behave unruly,” he added.