KUCHING: Police arrested three local men yesterday (June 23) after a viral video, intended as a prank, depicted a man pointing a pistol at another man in a car.
Recently, a 13-second video clip, capturing the alleged prank at the Metrocity parking area, went viral on Telegram and it caught the attention of the police.
Kuching police chief ACP Ahsmon Bajah said the suspects were taken into custody by a team of officers from Sarawak and Kuching D9 branches around 2.30 pm in Matang.
“During the arrest, police also confiscated an imitation pistol and a Perodua Axia.
“Interrogations found that the suspects, aged between 23 and 26, admitted to being involved in the viral video and that the purpose of the video was recorded only as a prank,” he said in a statement.
Background checks also discovered one of the suspects had a prior record involving violent crime.
Ahsmon said the suspects will be remanded to facilitate investigations under Section 36(1) of the Arms Act 1960 for possession of imitation arms and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for improper use of network facilities and network service.
If convicted under the Arms Act, the suspects could face up to one year in prison, a fine of up to RM5,000, or both.
Meanwhile, if convicted under the Communications and Multimedia Act, they could be fined up to RM50,000, imprisoned for up to one year, or both, with a further fine of RM1,000 for every day the offence is continued after conviction.
