Two married couples previously remanded in connection with a viral video showing alleged maid abuse have been rearrested after two additional former domestic helpers lodged police reports.
The four suspects, aged between 30 and 34, were detained at about 1.30am following reports filed yesterday by the two foreign women.
The victims, who were earlier sought by police along with another maid seen in the viral video, were brought from Kuala Lumpur by the Indonesian Embassy to lodge reports at the Johor Baru Selatan and Johor Baru Utara district police headquarters.
Indonesian Embassy counsel Mohd Daud Ismail said Magistrate Chai Ing Hien has granted a four-day remand order against all suspects to assist investigations involving the two victims under the Johor Baru Selatan police jurisdiction.
He said the case is being investigated under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt using dangerous weapons and Section 506 for criminal intimidation.
On June 14, Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the two couples were first arrested after a video showing a foreign domestic worker being assaulted at a house in Taman Johor, Tampoi, went viral.
Police had also seized mobile phones, clothing, a CCTV unit, and two foreign passports believed to belong to domestic workers employed by one of the couples.
Initial investigations revealed the incident occurred last year but was only uploaded to social media on June 13.
Authorities had been tracking two additional domestic helpers, both in their 20s, who were believed to have fled the suspects’ residence earlier this year but remained in Malaysia.
The Indonesian Consulate-General in Johor Bahru confirmed it had provided shelter and assistance to two Indonesian women who alleged they were physically abused by their employers.
The consulate said it received a report on June 13 from an Indonesian national claiming repeated physical violence involving herself and two other workers.
The case is also being investigated under Section 354 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
