JOHOR BARU: A verbal dispute broke out between neighbours in an apartment at Taman Universiti, Skudai, here, due to alleged incessant ringing of bells during prayers in the middle of the night.
The one-minute-59 second footage of the dispute showed a man in a t-shirt wrapped in a towel from the opposite apartment unit, shouting at a woman who was in the midst of a prayer ritual in the vestibule area in front of her apartment's exterior door and her unit's grill.
The man was heard in the video's audio, claiming that the ringing of the bell had interrupted his sleep, and said it was disrespectful for his neighbour to pray "noisily" past midnight.
The woman seemed calm, and did not engage in the alleged provocation and was heard saying "I am praying, but you are the one shouting"
The man returned to his unit, after another man believed to be his neighbour's son confronted him.
Johor Baru (North) police chief Assistant Commissioner Balveer Singh said the incident occurred on Dec 8, about 12.30am.
He confirmed that a police report was lodged on Sunday (Dec 17), on a misunderstanding allegedly due to excessive noise, which resulted in discomfort among other residents.
The case is being investigated under Section 13 (1) of the Minor Offenses Act 1955 which states it is an offence to make excessive noise between midnight and 6am, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for using network facilities to transmit communication deemed to be offensive or could cause annoyance to another person.
Section 13 (1) of the act stipulates fines not exceeding RM100, while Section 233, upon conviction is punishable with a fine not exceeding RM50,000 or imprisonment term up to a year or both.
Balveer urged the apartment residents with further information to contact investigating officer Inspector Jeffri Joni at 011-65141322, to facilitate investigations.