JOHOR BARU, March 5 — A man was arrested after he attempted to trespass into Istana Pasir Pelangi entrance along Jalan Pasir Pelangi here yesterday on his motorcycle.
The incident came barely 72-hours after a man attempted to steal the Sultan of Johor’s Ferrari at the Istana Bukit Serene on Thursday.
In the latest incident, a 23-year-old suspect believed to be mentally unstable attempted to enter the Gate 1 entrance of the palace grounds while riding his Honda motorcycle at about 8pm yesterday.
“However, quick action by a Johor Military Force (JMF) palace sentry guard saw the suspect detained and the police were called,” a source told Malay Mail today.
Initial investigations revealed that the suspect was earlier seen hanging around at the gate’s entrance. His suspicious behaviour alerted the sentry post guard.
The source said two police patrol cars from the Johor Baru South mobile police vehicle (MPV) unit immediately rushed to the scene and the suspect was taken into custody and had his motorcycle seized.
“Checks by police showed that the suspect, who hails from Taman Cahaya Masai in Pasir Gudang, did not have any previous cases or criminal records.
“Physical checks by police also did not find any offensive weapons or tools on the suspect,” said the source, adding that the suspect was later brought to the Central police station for processing and investigation.
Meanwhile, Johor police chief Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd, when contacted, confirmed the arrest and said police will be investigating the case for attempted trespassing on a gazetted restricted area.
In March last year, a 28-year-old man on a motorcycle was charged in the Johor Baru Sessions Court for allegedly trespassing the palace grounds and trying to burn down the Istana Besar in Johor Baru.
Johor has several gazetted palaces, including the Sultan of Johor’s official residence, belonging to state ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and his immediate royal family.
All are restricted areas defined under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act 1959. Any person who commits an offence or a violation of the act as provided under Section 7 (of the same act) is punishable by imprisonment up to two years or a fine of RM1,000 or both, upon conviction.
