SHAH ALAM, Oct 31 — A premises in Puchong, suspected of slaughtering, processing and distributing chicken without valid halal certification, was found to be using the electric water-bath stunning method.

Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) chairman Datuk Salehuddin Saidin said preliminary inspections found that the electrical voltage used was believed to be too high, causing the chickens to die instantly before undergoing slaughter in accordance with Islamic law.

“Early this morning, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), in collaboration with the police, the Selangor Department of Environment (DOE), the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) and the Petaling District Health Office, led a raid on premises allegedly involved in slaughtering chickens in a manner that did not comply with Islamic requirements.

“Preliminary investigations found that the premises used the stunning method, whereby the chickens were found dead before being slaughtered. This means they were essentially slaughtering carcasses rather than live chickens, as required under Islamic teachings,” he told reporters.

He said this after attending the 2026 Selangor-level Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah (ASWJ) Fundamental Declaration Programme, which was also attended by Jais director Datuk Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad, at the Dewan Syarahan dan Muzakarah Islam, Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, here today.

He added that the situation had raised serious doubts over compliance with Islamic law, and the halal status of the processed chicken products, making this a key focus of the authorities’ investigation to determine the actual operating methods used.

Elaborating, Salehuddin said preliminary investigations also found that the slaughterhouse had been operating since 2004, and was believed to be owned by a Muslim, besides supplying processed chicken to restaurants also owned by Muslims.

“If it is true that this is a Muslim-owned factory which had killed the chickens before slaughtering them, this is a highly irresponsible act, and we will ensure that firm action is taken.

“The company has been operating for a long time, for more than 20 years. I am therefore rather perplexed as to how something like this could happen, and why they would so easily deceive Muslims when they themselves are Muslims.

Salehuddin said the issue was also linked to the absence of mandatory halal certification requirements for certain premises. However, operators should be aware that the meat supply in question was prohibited under Islamic law.

Following the raid, he said that the authorities had ordered the factory premises to be closed for two weeks under health regulations, to allow for a detailed assessment and investigation.

In this regard, Salehuddin urged restaurant owners receiving supplies from the company to stop using them immediately, and report any suspicious information to Jais, Jakim or the police.

“I urge Muslims, restaurant operators and food business owners to check the source of their chicken supplies, in particular, as they must ensure that the food they serve is suitable for consumption by Muslims.

“Earlier, Jais seized more than 6.5 tonnes of raw chicken, worth RM85,400, after finding that the poultry had been processed without complying with Islamic slaughtering requirements. The seizure was made during a raid at a warehouse in Puchong at 12.40 am today, under Op Taring Chiller.

Earlier, the 2026 Selangor-level ASWJ Fundamental Declaration programme brought together nearly 500 participants, including teachers, mosque administrators, marriage registrars, local authorities (PBT) and religious agencies, to deepen their understanding of the importance of safeguarding the faith, through presentations of two working papers. — Bernama

* Editor’s note: Mais stands for Majlis Agama Islam Selangor, Jais stands for Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor, and Jakim stands for Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia. PBT stands for Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan, and Op stands for Operasi. ASWJ stands for Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah, an Arabic term for mainstream Sunni Islam.