KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — Cosmetics entrepreneur Nur Sajat Kamaruzzaman was arrested by Thai immigration authorities, Harian Metro reported quoting an anonymous source.
The arrest was made on September 8 based on information from Malaysian authorities on the whereabouts of Nur Sajat in Bangkok, Thailand.
According to the Malay-language tabloid’s source, the 36-year-old was detained in a luxury condominium in Bangkok with a man and a Thai woman during the immigration raid.
The Thai immigration department was believed to have been tracking Nur Sajat since March, based on information shared by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) to the Thai authorities.
“On June 4, Thai immigration tracked Nur Sajat’s hiding place to a luxury condo in central Bangkok.
“After intelligence and observation, on September 8 around 6pm (Thai time) a raid was carried out at her hiding place.
“As a result, Nur Sajat was arrested and the Thai immigration had confirmed that she was the individual who escaped and is wanted by the Malaysian authorities,” the source said, indicating that a passport belonging to the cosmetics entrepreneur has also been cancelled by the Malaysian government.
The source added that Nur Sajat was then taken to and detained at the Thai Immigration Headquarters’ Branch of Illegal Immigrants for offences related to immigration in the country.
“On September 9, Nur Sajat was charged in a Thai court for the offence.
“However, Nur Sajat was released on September 10 on a US$2,000 (RM8,343) bail made by a local.
“The money was paid by an acquaintance known as Misha who reportedly flew to Thailand for Nur Sajat’s bail,” the source said.
When asked about Nur Sajat’s location now, the source said that Nur Sajat is still sheltering in a luxury condominium in central Bangkok.
“Although she was released on bail, Nur Sajat was instructed to appear at the Thai immigration office every 14 days,” the source said.
In response to Metro Harian’s question, the source said that the Malaysian authorities were negotiating with the Thai government to bring Nur Sajat back to her country of origin — Malaysia.
“Efforts to bring her home to face trial in the Shariah High Court in Selangor for the offence of dressing as a woman that she committed in Shah Alam in 2018 are underway.
“Negotiations are quite difficult but we remain optimistic to bring her home.
“It is difficult because there is international intervention involving certain countries and organisations that are hindering it,” the source said.
The cosmetics entrepreneur is being sought by the authorities after she missed a Shariah Court hearing date in February this year concerning a case brought against her almost three years ago.
Her absence from proceedings then triggered a search party by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), who had said they empowered 122 personnel and enforcement officers to find and arrest Nur Sajat.
On March 1, the police stated their readiness to assist in the search for Nur Sajat and were subsequently roped in to join the hunt upon a request by Jais.
The Shariah Court charge against Nur Sajat was made under Section 10(a) of the Shariah Crimes (State of Selangor) Enactment 1995 which provides for a sentence not exceeding RM5,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three years or both, if convicted.
Section 10 refers to the Shariah offence of insulting Islam or causing Islam to be insulted either by mocking or blaspheming the faith and its associated practices and rituals either in a written, pictorial or photographic form.
The charges were allegedly connected to a religious event that she organised in 2018 where she appeared in a baju kurung.
