KUANTAN: State Islamic Religious Department enforcement officers had a busy time here early yesterday when they picked up nearly 30 couples for khalwat (close proximity).

Six underage girls were among them.

In an operation which lasted from midnight until dawn, the officers raided several budget hotels around town following tip-offs of unmarried Muslim couples spending the night there after the New Year Eve celebrations.

Syariah laws assistant director Ahmad Raffli Abdul Malek, who led the operation, said the couples caught were aged between 15 and 39. They failed to produce documents to show that they were married.

Some of the couples were from districts outside Kuantan and even as afar as Johor.

"Those caught were mostly students who gave reasons that it was too late to return home after the celebrations. Initial investigations revealed that most of them were here without informing their families."

Five Muslim men caught consuming alcohol were also nabbed in the operation, which involved 30 officers.

Ahmad Raffli said those charged for khalwat faced six months jail or a RM1,000 fine or both if found guilty under Section 145 of the State Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1982.

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