ARAU, May 30 — A German man who walked into the country without a valid permit for interstate travel was remanded for four days starting today.

Arau district police chief Supt Nanda Maarof said the 24-year-old man was seen walking from the direction of Changlun, Kedah and was arrested when he arrived at a roadblock (SJR) in Ulu Pauh, near here, at 12.45pm, yesterday.

"An investigation by the personnel on duty at the Ulu Pauh SRJ found that the man had a valid travel document but did not have an inter-state travel permit,” he said when contacted today.

Nanda said the man said that he wanted to go to Langkawi by taking the ferry at Kuala Perlis, near here, but claimed he was unaware that the country was currently undergoing a conditional movement control order (CMCO).

He said the German national had also informed him that arrived in Malaysia via the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on March 3, 2020, and had walked to Gerik, Perak where he was stranded for two months before going to Perlis.

He said the man was remanded to assist with the investigation under Section 270 of the Penal Code and Regulation 15 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020.

"Police have informed the German Embassy in Malaysia concerning the case. The man will be taken to the Ministry of Health in Perlis for a Covid-19 screening test,” he said. — Bernama