Johor cops to hold town hall with mall, hotel management after fake bomb threat

JOHOR BARU: A town hall session will be conducted by the police together with shopping mall and hotel management in the city following a fake bomb threat last Saturday (Oct 14).

Johor police chief Comm Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said that the session will involve a sharing session with the management and its security team to upgrade the overall safety elements on the premises.

“This is part of our preventive measures with the management of the shopping malls and hotels to fortify their safety and security.

“All of these premises are equipped with CCTV, and we urged them to utilise these features in the future,” he said.

He said this when met by reporters after the handover ceremony of rice donations by the Sultan Ibrahim Johor Foundation (YSIJ) at Dewan Dato Onn at the Johor Police Headquarters here on Tuesday (Oct 17).

Comm Kamarul Zaman added that the police will also increase their presence in large crowded areas to further enhance the safety and security on the premises.

Earlier, Comm Kamarul Zaman was reported as saying that police were investigating a fake bomb threat to a shopping mall and hotel here after the management received a phone call believed to be from a foreign man at 6.10pm on Saturday (Oct 14).

The case is being investigated under Section 507 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation by anonymous communication, which provides imprisonment for up to seven years upon conviction.

Several videos made rounds on social media showing throngs of people rushing to evacuate the mall while the sound of an alarm could be heard in the background.

Hundreds of people were seen standing outside the premises as they could not get to their vehicles while the authorities swept the place.