SEGAMAT – A married woman in her 40s was detained alongside an elderly man following a suspected act of khalwat (close proximity) at a village house in this district on Wednesday.
The enforcement operation, carried out by the Johor State Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) following public complaints, began around 11.40am. Upon arriving at the scene, officers spotted two vehicles outside the house, believed to belong to the man and woman respectively.
In a statement, JAINJ disclosed that officers found the front door locked from the inside upon inspection, prompting them to knock and announce their presence several times.
"After roughly five minutes, the door was opened by a man in his late 60s wearing grey trousers and a white jumper.
"The man, a widower, initially claimed he was alone in the house.
"However, after searches of the living room and kitchen yielded no results, enforcement officers inspected four bedrooms in the premises," the statement read.
A search of an unlocked master bedroom led to the discovery of a woman in her 40s wearing black trousers and a red T-shirt.
Further inspection revealed men's clothing arranged inside the wardrobe, whilst the bed was unmade with rumpled sheets and two pillows placed on top.
The pair subsequently admitted they were not husband and wife, offering the excuse that they were merely resting together.
"We explained to them that the woman remains legally married and the man is not her mahram (unmarriageable kin). Therefore, claiming to merely be resting does not alter the fact that they were remaining together in isolation inside the house," JAINJ stated.
JAINJ added that the woman had reportedly driven over 100 kilometres from another district, arriving at the house around 9am.
When questioned, the woman claimed she had stopped by to rest and denied engaging in immoral behavior.
Enforcement officers noted that a thorough search was conducted to establish the truth after the man initially insisted he was alone.
Investigations revealed the woman is experiencing marital difficulties and is undergoing divorce proceedings, claiming the rift stems from incompatibility and neglect of maintenance.
Officers advised the woman against engaging in actions that could prejudice her standing in the ongoing divorce proceedings.
"Experiencing marital troubles or being in the middle of a divorce is no excuse to act in a manner that invites suspicion or breaches Syariah law," the statement noted.
Meanwhile, the man, who has been a widower for several years, claimed he intends to marry the woman once her divorce is finalised.
"The man claimed he wishes to marry her after the legal proceedings conclude, but for now, she remains another man's wife and that must be respected," the statement said.