KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — The Selangor police today confirmed that three women were taken in for questioning over the defacement of a mural featuring Malaysian leaders in Shah Alam, after the incident went viral and triggered anger in July.
Selangor Police Chief Datuk Noor Azam Jamaludin, however, said the three women were released after investigations failed to produce evidence to link them to the act of vandalism, in addition to their air-tight alibis.
"The three women who police had suspected could be involved were questioned early last month.
"After recording their statement, investigations showed they had strong alibis and that they could not be linked to the crime," he told reporters during a press conference in Shah Alam.
He said investigations are still underway and all efforts are ongoing to track down the culprits.
On July 20, CCTV footage purportedly showing two individuals defacing a mural featuring Malaysian leaders in Taman Cahaya Alam, Section U12, Shah Alam was widely shared on social media.
The footage, in the form of a video, as well as stills, showed two women casually walking up to the mural before proceeding to spray words across it with paint cans.
The video ends with the pair disappearing down the alley where the mural was located and back onto the main road after their deed was done.
The mural featured six Malaysian leaders, including PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al Mustafa Billah Shah, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, and Islamic Affairs Minister Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri.
The artwork first came to attention earlier in July after painters Muhammad Suhaimi Ali, Abdul Hadi Ramli and Muhamad Firdaus Nordin made the mural as a gesture of appreciation towards the country’s leaders and fellow Malaysians for their contributions.
