The story of the special identity card went viral on social media yesterday.
Johor police chief Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd said the man, who is a student at a flight engineering training centre, was picked up from the centre where he was studying in Taman Subang Perdana, Shah Alam, at 3.20pm today.
“Police also seized a Samsung Galaxy K Zoom mobile phone together with the SIM card from the 25-year-old man who will be taken to the Johor Bahru Magistrate’s Court tomorrow for remand to enable the police to complete the investigation on him,” he said in a statement here today.
Wan Ahmad Najmuddin said earlier, the police received a report at 9.45pm yesterday regarding the uploading of application forms, terms of application, privileges offered and the Bangsa Johor identity card on social media, purportedly issued by the Johor government.
He said the suspect was found to have uploaded the documents on Twitter in the account of the name Tuan Syed Sigaraga@syedsigaraga.
Police are now investigating the case under Section 233 of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and those involved can be fined not more than RM50,000 or jailed not more than one year or both upon conviction.
“Police urge members of the public who applied for the Bangsa Johor identity card or made payment for the application (of the card) to come forward and lodge a police report.
“The police also advise the public against abusing social websites without thinking about the stern police action they could face,” he said.
Last night, Johor State Secretary Azmi Rohani, in a statement, denied that the Johor government had issued any Bangsa Johor identity card, as spread on social media.
Azmi said no one, including state government departments, had issued such a card.
“The use of the Johor identity card for such a purpose without referring to the state secretariat is totally prohibited,” he said.
The Johor menteri besar’s press secretary last night lodged a police report regarding the issue of the IC. Ahmad Asri Khalbi, 45, lodged the report at 9.43pm yesterday at the Seri Alam police station here.
He said he had received a photograph of the application form for the card with the conditions of application and service notice as well as the advantages of owning the Bangsa Johor identity card.
He then informed Johor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who said that a police report be lodged and a press statement issued to refute the existence of the card.