Md Romjan Ali, a 41-year-old Bangladeshi construction worker, was sentenced by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on May 13 to 18 months' imprisonment and one stroke of the cane for outraging the modesty of five women at various LRT and MRT stations in Kuala Lumpur [1, 2].

The offences took place between April 10 and April 25, 2026. Locations included the Chan Sow Lin LRT Station pedestrian walkway, inside several trains, the Maluri MRT Station escalator, and a train traveling between Taman Midah MRT and Muzium Negara MRT [1, 2].

Md Romjan pleaded guilty to using criminal force with intent to outrage the modesty of one German woman and four Malaysian women aged between 21 and 28 [1, 2]. Justice Datuk Aslam Zainuddin said, "For all five cases, the court will impose one global sentence. The punishment imposed by the Magistrates’ Court is set aside and replaced with 18 months’ imprisonment from the date of arrest on April 27. The accused is also ordered to receive one stroke of the cane for one of the offences" [2].

The High Court consolidated and replaced four earlier Magistrates’ Court decisions dated May 6, which sentenced Md Romjan to six months’ imprisonment and a RM14,500 fine [1, 2]. The offences were charged under Section 354 of the Penal Code, allowing up to 10 years' imprisonment, fines, caning, or a combination thereof [1, 2].

Deputy public prosecutor Faridah Nurdinie Bahrum asked for a deterrent sentence and a deportation order after sentence completion. She said, "Committing such offences in public places is unacceptable. Hugging, touching and groping the victims are not normal conduct; no reasonable person would act this way. Notably, the accused committed these acts at different times and locations, even when LRT and MRT stations were crowded with commuters" [1, 2].

Md Romjan’s lawyer, Datuk Dr Mohd Radzuan Ibrahim, requested repatriation to Bangladesh citing emotional distress and family support. He said, "His brother, present in court today, confirms that he (the accused) is suffering emotional distress, and the family is in the process of sending him home for medical treatment. We respectfully request that the court exercise its power to repatriate him" [1].

Md Romjan was arrested on April 27, shortly after the offences took place from April 10 to April 25 [1, 2]. The court set the jail term to run from the date of arrest [2].