Instead, police said the two youths, who were were not wearing helmets, were trying to evade cops when they fell after an accident.

Northeast district police chief Soffian Santong said the motorcyclist and his pillion rider were ordered to pull over when they were spotted without helmets near the Tesco Tanjung Pinang traffic lights at about 5.20pm.

He said they ignored the order and sped through a red light and crashed into a car, causing them to get hurt.

Earlier, a video of several persons claiming that policemen had kicked down the duo had gone viral on social media. This resulted in several people slamming the police for their apparent high-handed action.

Soffian said the public should not spread false information and urged witnesses to contact Insp Shahrul Nizam Abdullah at 010-9771517.

The case is being investigated for reckless driving under the Road Transport Act 1987.