QuickCheck: Did a cleaver-wielding man run amok at a train station in Ipoh?

IT’S not every day you hear about a cleaver-wielding man causing chaos at a train station.

The usually serene KTMB Square in Ipoh turned into an unexpected stage for a dramatic scene straight out of a thriller movie.

As social media users played detective with the viral video, many are left wondering: did this wild incident really unfold as claimed?

Verdict:

TRUE

A local man has been arrested by the police for causing a disturbance when he wielded a knife at Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) Square along Jalan Dato Panglima Bukit Gantang in Ipoh on Tuesday (Aug 13).

Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad confirmed the incident, which went viral on social media through a video showing the event.

He said the police were alerted by the public about a man, suspected to be mentally unstable, brandishing a knife at the location around 1.56pm.

“The authorities managed to apprehend the suspect at 2pm while he was causing a commotion and seized a meat cleaver from him,” said ACP Abang Zainal Abidin.

“The suspect, a local unemployed man, 31, has four previous criminal records and nine previous drug-related records,” he added in a statement on Tuesday.

ACP Abang Zainal Abidin stated that the case is being investigated under Section 6(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958.

He added that a check with the Hospital Bahagia Hulu Kinta revealed that the suspect has a history of mental health treatment and has been taken to the hospital for further treatment.