Johor religious officers detain couple in hotel raid, found in compromising state and suspected of khalwat offence
KLUANG: A teenage girl was detained while naked alongside her boyfriend, who was wearing only his underwear, after they were suspected of being in close proximity (khalwat) at a hotel in the town early Thursday morning.
The 19-year-old and her 23-year-old partner were apprehended during an enforcement operation carried out by personnel from the Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) at about 1.30am, Sinar Harian reports.
According to a JAINJ statement, upon arriving at the location, enforcement personnel knocked on the hotel room door, which was opened by a man about two minutes later.
“The man attempted to close the door again after realising the presence of enforcement personnel, but the attempt was prevented.
“An inspection found that the man was wearing only his underwear, while another individual was discovered hiding under a blanket on the bed,” the statement said.
JAINJ added that a further inspection by a female officer found that the teenage girl was unclothed. She was then instructed to go to the bathroom while covering herself with a blanket to get dressed.
The couple were reportedly in a state of panic and pleaded not to face action.
“They admitted that they were in a romantic relationship. The man said he had travelled about 50 kilometres from another district by car.
“Initially, they had gone out for leisure and a meal before deciding to stay at the hotel as it was already late at night and they could not return home in time,” the statement added.
JAINJ said statements had been recorded from both individuals, and their parents had been contacted for bail purposes.
