JOHOR BAHRU – Three men and two women were detained on suspicion of khalwat after Johor Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JAINJ) enforcement officers raided a condominium unit at about 9.35am on Tuesday.
In a statement, JAINJ said the officers presented a warrant before entering the unit on the 11th floor, with the cooperation of the condominium’s security guards.
A man opened the door after officers had knocked for about five minutes. However, he attempted to close it after the officers identified themselves and showed their authority cards.
The officers managed to stop him and entered the unit, where they found a woman lying on a sofa watching television and a shirtless man standing beside her.
JAINJ said the three individuals were asked to produce their identification documents and admitted that they were not siblings and had no mahram relationship.
The department identified them as a 23-year-old food delivery rider, a 16-year-old workshop employee and an 18-year-old unemployed woman.
Officers then checked a locked bedroom in the unit. After calling out to someone inside, they heard a man asking them to wait before the door was opened about five minutes later.
Inside, they found a woman lying on a bed under a blanket. JAINJ said the woman, aged 16, was unemployed, while the 23-year-old man was single and worked as a delivery rider.
During questioning, the pair admitted that they were alone together, were unmarried and had no mahram relationship, according to the department.
JAINJ said all five individuals were informed that khalwat could involve groups of people and was not limited to a man and a woman being alone together.
The department said the three men had pooled their money to rent the condominium through an online booking platform. They were given a password to retrieve the access card from a mailbox without having to meet anyone at the counter.
“They said they were just having fun and seeking peace of mind after being tired from work. They also admitted that this was not the first time they had rented a condominium, as they had done so several times at different locations around Johor Bahru,” the department said.
JAINJ said the families were contacted following the arrests to facilitate the bail process. Tensions reportedly rose when some family members raised their voices while reprimanding their children.
The five individuals were detained for khalwat under Section 27 of the Johor Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1997. JAINJ said the couple would be charged in court.