By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, March 19: Padawan district police have identified a woman involved in a viral road rage incident in which she allegedly showed an obscene hand gesture to another driver on Jalan Batu Kawa.
Padawan district police chief Supt Mohd Irwan Hafiz bin Md Radzi said the case came to light after an 18-year-old local man lodged a police report at Kota Sentosa Police Station on March 18 at 5.50pm.
According to the complainant, while driving along Jalan Batu Kawa on March 15 at approximately 4.46pm, a female driver allegedly made an obscene middle finger gesture towards him.
The incident, which later went viral on social media, allegedly began when the female driver cut across three lanes into the man’s path, nearly colliding with his car. In response to his honking, the video footage shows her activating her hazard lights and brake-checking him. The man further claimed that as he approached a police station, she threw a bottle at his car before driving away.
“The woman involved has been identified, and the case is being investigated under Section 509 of the Penal Code,” Mohd Irwan said in a statement today.
Section 509 criminalises actions intended to insult the modesty of a person, specifically by uttering words, making sounds or gestures, or exhibiting objects with the intent that they be seen or heard by the person.
The offense carries a punishment of imprisonment for a term that may extend to five years, or with a fine, or with both.
He reminded road users to drive courteously and avoid actions that could disrupt public decorum.
“The public is advised to remain calm and avoid any behaviour that may provoke unnecessary conflicts on the road,” he added. — DayakDaily
