Jawi maintains no wrongdoing in arrest of married couple

The religious affairs department says its officers were only acting on a tip-off from an informant.

PETALING JAYA: The Federal Territories Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi) has denied any wrongdoing in the arrest of a couple nabbed for khalwat (close proximity) earlier this year, The Star reports.

Although admitting that Mohd Ridhuan Giman, 34, and Siti Sarah Maulad Abdullah, 26, had a valid marriage solemnised on Oct 17, 2014, Jawi claimed it had acted on a public tip-off received the night before the raid.

The Star cited a statement of defence by Jawi which said the couple’s arrest was lawful as they had failed to provide proof that they were married.

But it also highlighted suspicions raised during the investigation that the phone number of the informant belonged to either Ridhuan or Siti Sarah.

Previous reports said the couple were spending the night at a budget hotel on Jan 8 when eight religious enforcement officers came knocking on their door at 1.30am.

Despite Ridhuan informing the raiding party that his wife was not decently dressed, a male officer barged into the room. This led to a scuffle between Ridhuan and the male officer, which resulted in Ridhuan injuring his neck.

Ridhuan and Siti Sarah subsequently sued Jawi for wrongful arrest and invasion of privacy, claiming they had shown the officers a photo of their marriage certificate.

In their lawsuit filed on Feb 17, they accused Jawi of abusing its power and violating their rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement under the Federal Constitution.

The couple among others named the Jawi director-general, the Prime Minister’s Department and the Malaysian government as defendants.

Ridhuan and Siti Sarah are seeking damages, an apology from the department, and withdrawal of further investigations and legal costs. -FMT