Sugarbook founder rearrested over suspected rape, prostitution

SHAH ALAM: Police moved in to rearrest a suspect over an alleged rape and prostitution case after having failed to obtain a remand order on the man, said to be the founder of Sugarbook, an online dating platform.

When the suspect was presented before the judge here yesterday, she declined to grant police the remand order that they sought.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani confirmed the matter after the suspect was released after he was brought to the Shah Alam Court at 10am yesterday.

“We were not granted a remand order,” he told reporters after visiting the Setia Alam movement control order roadblock.

In a Bernama report, lawyer Foong Cheng Leong, representing the 34-year-old suspect, said High Court deputy registrar Noorasyikin Sahat dismissed the application after his client pledged to give his full cooperation to the investigation.

Selangor CID chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Fadzil Ahmat said police received 74 reports linked to Sugarbook, an app that was banned by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

The industry regulator posted a notification on the website on Monday saying it had essentially violated Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, though it did not state specifically the actual violation.

SAC Fadzil said a team comprising Selangor and Shah Alam CID officers had initially arrested the suspect around 4.30pm on Wednesday at a condominium in Mont Kiara.

“We are investigating the case for publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or report with intent to cause fear or alarm to the public, sharing offensive or menacing content, and prostitution,” he said.

Following the rearrest of the suspect yesterday afternoon, SAC Fadzil said it was in relation to a suspected rape and prostitution case involving a higher learning institute student on Feb 19, 2019.

SAC Fadzil also said the prosecution applied for a revision of the Magistrate’s Court decision.

“The application for the revision will be heard before a High Court judge at the Shah Alam Court around 9am on Friday (today),” he said.

Sugarbook matches “sugar daddies” with “sugar babies”, with daddies generally older and well-off, compared to the babies who are mostly young women.