JOHOR BARU, Dec 21 — A 25-year-old woman said her boyfriend was attacked by a group of men after he tried to pick her up from a restaurant where she had dinner with friends.

Bank employee Tai Yoke Eng said the incident started after she attended the gathering on December 11 at a seafood restaurant in Taman Impian Emas here, as she had been invited by her friend.

She said it was supposed to be a small dinner gathering as her friend’s boyfriend had just returned from Singapore after a long absence due to the travel restrictions.

“I agreed and upon arrival on that evening, it was just among a few friends.

“It was later that the crowd started to build up and my friend’s boyfriend had started to touch my shoulder, making me feel uneasy,” said Tai during a press conference the Pasir Gudang MCA Public Complaints Bureau organised here today.

Bureau chief Lim Thow Siang and several party officials were present at the press conference.

Due to the situation, Tai said she then called up her 27-year-old boyfriend and asked him to fetch her from the restaurant.

“My boyfriend arrived at the restaurant at about 12.30am. However, he was then assaulted with a plastic chair by one of the men that had earlier attended the gathering.

“This caused more people to physically assault my boyfriend, where he was continuously punched and kicked,” she said, adding that no one came to his aid during the incident.

Tai said she and her boyfriend then managed to flee from the assailants.

However, she said one of the men followed them to her boyfriend’s car, before kicking a side panel and causing a dent.

“I don’t understand what triggered the attack on me and my boyfriend as I have always tried my best to be friendly to all parties,” she said.

Tai added that her boyfriend had suffered bruises on his face and body during the attack and claimed that he paid RM8,000 for treatment at a private medical centre.

Johor Baru North police chief Assistant Commissioner Rupeah Abd Wahid confirmed that Tai and her boyfriend lodged reports about the incident.

She said police were investigating the incident as armed riot under Section 148 of the Penal Code.