KOTA KINABALU, Oct 26 — Police have yet to ascertain the identities of several people believed to have posed nude at an island off Sabah’s east coast district of Semporna, as a 33-year-old Chinese national believed to be linked to the case was released from custody yesterday.
Semporna district police chief superintendent Peter Umbuas said the dive instructor had been cooperative, but has yet to positively identify the other suspected nudists.
“We had to release him on police bail, pending the result of further investigation. We still have to identify those in the photos before we can proceed with help from Interpol or anything further,” Peter said when contacted, adding that police have not kept the dive instructor’s passport.
Earlier, English daily The Star reported that the man was released after they were unable to apply for a remand extension after the order expired yesterday.
The tour guide was released on police bail with two local sureties and will be called back whenever necessary.
He was arrested after police received complaints about several photos that were circulating on social media showing numerous people in the buff in various poses, mostly with their backs to the camera as they stood in shallow waters of a beach.
Shortly after, police were alerted of another set of photos, this time showing an Asian man touching the penises of two young boys on a beach. However, no official police report was made on the matter, Peter said.
Earlier this year, a group of 10 tourists irked locals by stripping naked on Mount Kinabalu, considered a sacred place. On June 12, four of tourists aged between 22 and 24 — of Canadian, Dutch and British nationality — were convicted and sentenced to three days’ jail and fined RM5,000 each.
