SERI ISKANDAR, Feb 12 — A police constable was arrested for allegedly molesting a 20-year-old woman, as well as extorting the woman and her boyfriend while off-duty here yesterday.

The 27-year-old constable, who has been attached to the Parit police station for two years, allegedly committed the act along the Parit-Seri Iskandar road around noon yesterday.

Perak Tengah police chief Supt Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said the constable was arrested at 9pm last night, after the couple lodged a police report in Kuala Kangsar yesterday evening.

Zainal said the series of events began when the off-duty constable came across the couple, who were sitting in a parked Proton Savvy on the side of the road.

Identifying himself as a police officer, Zainal said the constable checked on the couple as he suspected they were committing an offence.

“After telling them that they had committed an offence, the constable then offered to discuss the matter at a nearby restaurant instead of reporting it at a police station,” Zainal told a press conference today.

“According to the complainants, he demanded they pay him RM700 in the next two weeks to settle the case.”

Zainal told reporters that the constable then offered to drive the 20-year-old woman back to her skills training centre in Parit, telling her 20-year-old boyfriend to go home.

“The woman claims that the constable then molested her by touching her private parts in the car, as they travelled to her college,” Zainal said.

“Upset with the incident, the duo lodged a report at the Kuala Kangsar police station at 5pm yesterday, as the male complainant is from Kuala Kangsar.”

Zainal said the constable was dressed in plainclothes and driving his personal car as he was off-duty at the time.

He said police managed to trace the identity of the constable based on his car, adding that the constable did not have any previous disciplinary problems.

The case is being investigated for assault or use of criminal force to a person with intent to outrage someone’s modesty and putting a person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion, under Sections 354 and 385 of the Penal Code respectively.

Zainal said the constable was remanded for four days starting today, stressing that police would not compromise on any ill-discipline in its ranks.

“We will treat this case like any other case; it does not matter whether he is a policeman or not,” Zainal said.

“If there is enough evidence of any wrongdoing, the suspect will be charged in court. There is no question of compromise or protection.”

“In the meantime, we hope the public refrains from spreading any false information about this case, because it could affect the investigation.”