BATU PAHAT: The Batu Pahat Islamic Religious Department caught five couples in an “anti-khalwat” (being in close proximity outside a marital relationship) swoop in conjunction with the Chinese New Year holidays, here early today.
Batu Pahat kadi Muhammad Husni Tamrin Md Sharif said the operation, which also included other enforcement agencies, focused on several hotels and secret rendezvous points of lovers around the town.
“One of the couples, both in their 30s, admitted that they had hooked up a number of times at a hotel just about 500m from their homes.
“The man was single while the woman has been married for some years. They went to the hotel to hide their illicit affair,” he told reporters.
The couples are liable to be fined a maximum of RM3,000 or jailed up to two years, if convicted in a Syariah court. — Bernama
