PETALING JAYA, July 17 — Kidnap and assault victim Ng Mun Tatt stepped forward today to deny the national police chief’s claim linking his case to the uproar surrounding controversial bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee over their Ramadan greeting that sparked widespread public anger.

According to media reports, the young man was abducted in front of a restaurant in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam, by eight men, believed to be Malays, and taken into a Toyota Alphard early Monday. He was allegedly beaten, stripped and humiliated with the words “Saya hina Islam [I insult Islam]” scrawled on his body, before being released close to a highway near the exit to Setiawangsa.

“I was more shocked when the police said yesterday my case was triggered by the sex bloggers’ case,” Ng told a news conference in Klang today.

He was responding to Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar who openly linked Ng’s abduction and assault to Tan and Lee — the two bloggers jointly known as “Alvivi”, which is a contraction of their names — whom the police are now investigating under the Penal Code.

“I don’t even know anything about them, nor have I offended anyone recently,” Ng added.

He told reporters he believed he had been abducted for money.

At a press conference yesterday, Khalid said the police had opened a fresh investigation on Tan and Lee because of Ng’s case, believing the latter was assaulted in response to the couple’s Ramadan insult on Facebook.

“It was a reaction to Alvin and Vivian’s actions,” Khalid said.

“The scribbles on his (Ng’s) body was apparently because he had written some hurtful words regarding the religion and race of others,” he explained.

“I advise the public... do not make statements that would cause hurt or trigger the anger of other races because you see, if we just let it be, this is what happens... people would take revenge.”

He also urged the couple to turn themselves in, and warned that the probe under section 298A of the Penal Code permits the police to arrest them.

“I advise the couple to come forward to the KL police to allow us to record their statements,” Khalid said.

Section 289A covers a variety offences, namely causing “disharmony, disunity, or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will, or prejudicing, etc., the maintenance of harmony or unity, on grounds of religion.”

Tan and Lee had allegedly posted a picture on Facebook last Friday, where the two were shown with a “Bak Kut Teh” pork dish, which is said to have affected the sensitivities of the Muslim community here.

The couple have since apologised for their actions but are now also under investigation by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

Deputy Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Jailani Johari reportedly said that the two youths could face charges under section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for displaying offensive pictures and words.

If convicted, the duo could be fined up to RM50,000 or be given a one year jail sentence, or both.

The Malaysian duo in their early twenties had late last year courted controversy over the videos and photographs of their sexual exploits that was posted on a blog.