NILAI: A carpet-shopping exercise went horribly awry for three customers when they were assaulted by a group of Pakistani merchants who misunderstood their intentions at Nilai 3 Industrial area here yesterday.
The three 20 and 30-something siblings – two of whom are policemen – were injured in the 3.30pm incident at a shop selling carpets.
The trio were in the midst of bargaining with the Pakistani shopkeepers over the price of a carpet when the exchange somehow went sour. Before they knew it, they were surrounded by 50 other men.
The two policemen produced their identification in an effort to thwart any attempt at violence, but they were disregarded by the group who began beating the victims with various hard objects and blocked any escape routes.
"(Some of the men) also allegedly took the wallets of two of the three victims," a source said.
State Police chief Datuk Noor Azam Jamaludin said eight Pakistani suspects were detained last night and today to assist in the police investigation.
"The probe is ongoing and the case is being investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting," he said.