A group of individuals in Kedah fled in a panic, leaving behind drinks and food after a restaurant in Tikam Batu was raided by religious enforcers today.
After two weeks of undercover work, the authorities paid a visit to the premises to crack down on an unlicensed business that provided and delivered food to Muslims who skipped fasting during Ramadan.
The raid, known as Ops Plastik Hitam, which took place at 11 AM yesterday (March 16), saw two runners already prepared for their duties at the scene, with the packs of rice ready for delivery, as revealed on a TikTok post by Sinar Harian.
All food and drinks were carefully wrapped in their respective black plastic bags
“The vendor was preparing and packing other meals, which consists of various dishes and drinks when we raided the place,” said Shuib Ismail, the Head of the Kuala Muda District Religious Office (PAD) Enforcement Unit,
Payments would be made via Cash on Delivery (COD) transactions, which would be collected by the two men tasked with the delivery job.
During the raid, some customers who were there to pick up their food personally managed to escape the authorities and drive away from the scene. Four customers, however, were not so lucky as they were apprehended by the religious enforcers.
They did not have a business license
They were issued a notice under Section 14 of the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 2014 for disrespecting the month of Ramadan and were asked to appear at the Kuala Muda District Religious Office to have their statements recorded.
“The premises was operating as early as 8am and gave the excuse of only selling food via direct delivery to its customers, whom the vendor claimed to be foreign workers around Tikam Batu.”
Meanwhile, The Sungai Petani City Council (MPSPK) also issued compounds for not having a business license based on By-Law (UUK) 3, not complying with the vaccination instructions for food handlers according to UUK 38 and compounds under the Local Government Act 1976 (Act 171) for conducting business before 3 PM during the month of Ramadan.
An investigation found that the business had been raided before for the same offences, but they still disobeyed the instructions.
Also read: Pak Cik in Johor Slaps 21yo Non-Muslim Man for Eating in Public During Ramadan, PDRM Investigates
