Lotus's probes allegation pregnant woman was mistaken for shoplifter

SHAH ALAM - Lotus’s Malaysia says safeguarding the dignity and safety of everyone involved remains its priority when handling suspected shoplifting incidents, following allegations that a 38-week pregnant woman was publicly humiliated at its Selayang store.

The incident was shared on Threads by her husband, Mohamed Fareez Shah, who described the grocery trip as one of the most humiliating experiences they had ever faced after staff allegedly accused his wife of shoplifting, suspecting she had concealed stolen items beneath her clothing.

He said his wife was stopped by a male staff member after they had finished paying for their groceries.

“Without introducing himself or explaining the situation properly, he looked at my wife and asked what she was hiding in her stomach,” he wrote.

Fareez claimed that instead of providing any evidence, staff asked his wife to produce her maternal health record and expose her stomach to demonstrate that she was not concealing stolen merchandise.

He said he told the staff that if they believed his wife had stolen anything, they should produce evidence, identify the witness and call a supervisor immediately. However, he alleged they were instead made to wait for almost 20 minutes while staff attempted to contact a supervisor.

“My wife was already exhausted from carrying our baby and now she had to endure public embarrassment on top of that,” he wrote.

Fareez said that when the supervisor eventually arrived, he insisted the cashier who had made the accusation come forward. However, the cashier admitted she had never actually seen his wife taking any items.

“Her suspicion was simply because my wife’s stomach didn’t look like a pregnant belly and she thought it looked like someone hiding merchandise. So there was no witness. No evidence. No stolen item. Only an assumption,” he added.

Following the incident, Fareez lodged a police report, claiming that his wife had been unjustly accused of shoplifting and subjected to humiliation despite having done nothing wrong.

When contacted by Sinar Daily, Lotus’s Malaysia confirmed it is conducting a thorough investigation into the incident, including reviewing the available information and speaking with the employees involved.

Asked to explain what it meant by the “appropriate escalation process” for handling suspected shoplifting incidents, the spokesperson said employees are expected to respond professionally, respectfully and in accordance with the company’s established internal procedures.

“Where concerns arise, they are required to follow the appropriate escalation process to ensure the situation is managed properly while safeguarding the dignity and safety of everyone involved. Specific actions taken depend on the circumstances and, where necessary, matters are escalated to the relevant personnel in accordance with company procedures and applicable laws,” the spokesperson said.

When asked whether the employees involved in the incident were the "relevant personnel" referred to in its procedures, Lotus's declined to answer directly.

"It would not be appropriate to comment on individual employees while the review is ongoing. We have a duty of care towards everyone involved, including both our customers and our colleagues," the spokesperson said.