Johor religious police catch S'porean man & widowed woman in condo, arrest them for 'khalwat'

A married Singaporean man and a widowed woman were arrested by the Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) on the morning of Oct. 24 for allegedly engaging in “khalwat” (a religious offence where two people of the opposite sex are in close proximity in a private or secluded place) at a luxury condominium in Johor Bahru, reported the Malaysia Gazette.

The raid

The JAINJ said its enforcement officers detained the pair, who were both Singaporean Malays, at about 9am.

A knock on the door revealed the woman wearing shorts and a T-shirt, while the man was found lying on the bed, half-covered with a blanket.

According to the JAINJ, the man, who is in his 30s, is married with children while the woman, in her 20s, is a widow with no children.

The two Singaporeans told the Johor officers that they were just “friends” and that they used to be work colleagues.

They had rented the condominium unit online a day before and were preparing to check out that morning when enforcement officers arrived.

JAINJ statement

A Facebook post made by the JAINJ emphasised how the couple were both at a loss for words when confronted, as if their “mouths had been stuffed with duku fruits”.

They also declared how the both of them had still been caught “despite not renting a hotel”.

The post goes on to warn that the JAINJ had “no problem making arrests in any place, such as luxury condominiums or star-rated hotels” and warned that there would be “no safe haven for immoral offenders in the state”.

The JAINJ highlighted that the arrest followed more than two months of intelligence and surveillance of daily-rental condominium units believed to be used as meeting places for unmarried couples.

The post eventually ended by urging followers to “remember death” and that “you only live once”.

Netizen reaction

Malaysian netizens mostly expressed amusement at how the strength of the Singaporean dollar had lured the two all the way across the causeway border.

Others remarked on how it might not be safe to take a holiday in Malaysia anymore, or wondered if the law still applied to Singaporeans.

Both individuals were arrested and taken to the Johor Bahru District Islamic Religious Office for further investigation.

Top images via Unsplash, penguatkuasa-jainj-2025/Facebook